Environmental Review Toolkit

Section 4(f) Tutorial

Section 4(f) Overview

This section will start you off with a general overview of the statute known as Section 4(f). More detailed information about each topic presented here is available as you navigate through this site.

collapse list What is a de minimis impact?

For publicly owned public parks, recreation areas, and wildlife and waterfowl refuges, a de minimis impact is one that will not adversely affect the activities, features, or attributes of the Section 4(f) property. For historic sites, a de minimis impact means that FHWA has determined (in accordance with 36 CFR Part 800, regulations implementing Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA)) that either no historic site is affected by the project or that the project will have "no adverse effect" on the historic site. A de minimis impact determination does not require analysis of feasible and prudent avoidance alternatives.