This Act is enacted to maintain natural systems, ensure zero loss of the natural coast, respond to climate change, prevent coastal disasters and damage to the environment, protect and restore coastal resources, implement integrated coastal zone management, and promote the sustainable development of coastal zones.

The terms used in this act are defined as follows:
1. Coastal zone: A zone of land, water, seabed, and subsoil designated and announced by the Central Competent Authority based on environmental characteristics, ecological integrity, and management requirements in accordance with the following principles; boundaries for marine area may be drawn using the coordinates of points to link a straight line.
(1) Shore land area: The area from the average high tide line to the first provincial highway, coastal road, or mountain ridge.
(2) Offshore area: The area from the average high tide line to the 30-meter isobaths or 3 nautical miles towards sea whichever is longer in distance, but not exceeding territorial sea and its seabed and subsoil.
(3) Shore land area and offshore area of offshore islands: Designated based on environmental characteristics and actual management requirements within the limit of territorial sea.
2. Coastal disaster: Disasters at coastal zones caused by earthquake, tsunami, storm surge, waves, sea level rise, land surface changes, or other natural and artificial factors.
3. Coastal protection works: Embankment, groin, detached breakwater, revetment, parapet, retention pond, ground water recharge facilities, water pumping facilities, floodgate, and other facilities to prevent seawater intrusion and coastal erosion.

The term “competent authority” referred to in this Act shall be the Ministry of the Interior at the central level, the municipal government at the municipal level, and the county (city) government at the county (city) level.

The coastal patrol agency shall be responsible for enforcing, collecting evidence and transferring violators of illegal conduct in offshore area specified by this Act. The competent authority shall still utilize necessary facilities or measures to carry out related affairs on its own initiative.
The competent authority and coastal patrol agency may request assistance from the competent authority of military, customs, port, irrigation, environmental protection, ecological conservation, fishery or other industry competent authorities to carry out matters in the preceding paragraph and in this Act.

The Central Competent Authority shall consult the competent authorities at the municipal and county (city) level and related agencies, and shall designate and announce coastal zones within six months after this Act takes effect. The designated coastal zones shall be publicly displayed at the municipal or county (city) government and township (district) offices. The duration of display shall not be less than 30 days and information of the designated coastal zones shall be published on the government’s gazette, newspapers, and internet or other appropriate methods. This shall also apply to the change or cancellation of coastal zones.

The Central Competent Authority and related agencies shall jointly establish basic database of coastal zones, periodically update the data, and publish a coastal management white paper. The database and white paper shall be released via the internet or other appropriate means for public access to serve coastal research, planning, education, protection , and management purposes.
The Central Competent Authority may consult with related agencies to set up necessary survey stations and related facilities to establish said database, and shall carry out maintenance of the database. Except for those involving national security, all related agencies shall provide necessary data for the database.