Irondequoit Bay is located in the Rochester metropolitan area, within five miles of the center of the City of Rochester. It is readily accessible from both the urban and suburban areas of the County. Irondequoit Bay is a popular area for boating, hiking, bird watching, fishing and recreating. The bay is also an environmentally sensitive area with the highest level of legal protection by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and classified as a Class I freshwater wetland. As part of their zoning laws, the Towns of Irondequoit, Penfield and Webster have each adopted Environmental Protection Overlay Districts (EPODs) to protect sensitive environmental features within the Bay ecosystem.  In addition, each town has adopted erosion and sedimentation control or drainage ordinances that regulate stormwater runoff during construction to ensure that soil sediments do not enter water bodies.  Each of the towns adopted an Irondequoit Bay Harbor Management Law and enacted docking regulations consistent with their The Local Waterfront Revitalization Program.

Town planning boards are empowered to regulate and approve subdivision plats as specified in Sections 276-278 of the Town Law.  Subdivision regulations are intended to ensure that development meets acceptable standards of construction and design.  All of the towns in the Bay ecosystem have adopted subdivision regulations. The links to the town websites and planning contacts for the bay are listed below:

Town Planning Links

County, State & Federal Links