Environmental Assessment Addendum - Environmental Assessment

Environmental Assessment Addendum Forms Environmental Assessment Template

Environmental assessment means assessment of potential environmental consequences associated with any property. Before purchasing a piece of land, a buyer may want to have an environmental assessment conducted on the property. This can be done through certain inspections and assessments on the property. As a result of the assessment, if problems are discovered, the buyer can decide to terminate the contract. It will be beneficial to attach an addendum to environmental assessment to your real estate contract and clarify that the buyer should conduct the assessment before closing the deal. An environmental assessment addendum or environmental impact assessment addendum is an addendum attached to a real estate contract, wherein the parties agree that environmental assessment requirements shall be completed by the buyer prior to execution the contract. In case the buyer finds any associated problems with the proposed action, the buyer can terminate the contract.

If you would like to have an environmental assessment conducted, you should file an application for environmental assessment before the proper authority. In the process of environmental assessment, there are four key players:

  1. 1. Applicant or developer who wants to undertake assessment and hence wants to obtain authorization from the competent authority.


  2. 2. Competent authority who will allow or reject the request for authorization depending on the outcome of the assessment.


  3. 3. An environmental assessment practitioner who manages the process of environmental impact assessment on the applicant's behalf.


  4. 4. Interested parties or affected parties, including the general public who can participate in the assessment process.

The results of environmental assessments are recorded in an environmental assessment form. A properly filled out environmental assessment form describes the proposed action, its object, its location, and its potential consequence on the environment. Usually, an environmental site assessment addendum includes visual inspections or records review searches for wetlands and threatened or endangered species, among other hazards.

Since there are development restrictions on wetlands, it is important to know if there are wetlands on a property. A buyer can attach a wetlands addendum (also called addendum W) to a purchase offer. This will allow the buyer to conduct an environmental evaluation related to wetlands on the property and to negotiate with the seller if wetlands are found.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provides real estate services for the Department of Defense across the globe. They are involved in environmental assessment and preparation of reports on how to help certain areas that are environmentally challenged; for example, drought revisions plans, etc.