Wetland delineation is simply the act of establishing the boundary between wetlands and uplands (or non-wetlands). There are two delineation procedures developed at the federal level and several states have their own wetland delineation procedures.

Wetland is determined through data collection at the site to simply determine whether an area is a wetland.

For landowners who want to protect the natural resources on their property, just knowing that a wetland exists may be enough information for a hands-off form of stewardship. However, if you want to develop the property, determining whether the property is wetland or the land adjacent to your is wetland might impact the wetland's functions (or is a regulated activity). Knowing the wetland boundaries is essential.