Terms of Use

1. Eligibility and business use

1.1 The Service is offered only for business and professional use by real-estate, energy and infrastructure developers, their advisers, lenders and investors, public bodies and similar professionals. It is not offered for personal, family or household purposes, and by using it you confirm you are not using it for those purposes. You must be at least 18 years old and able to form a binding contract.

1.2 If your organization has accepted a Subscriber Agreement, it also applies. If the two conflict, the Subscriber Agreement controls on subscription matters, and these Terms control on the Disclaimer and acceptable use.

2. Information only; no professional relationship

2.1 The Service provides general information about environmental, land-use, permitting, economic development and related developments. It is not legal, engineering, environmental consulting, tax, accounting, financial, investment or other professional advice, and it is not a substitute for advice from a qualified professional about your specific circumstances.

2.2 Using the Service, contacting us, or asking for a lawyer referral does not create an attorney–client, fiduciary or other professional relationship with us or with any attorney. Any attorney–client relationship arises only under a separate written engagement with a law firm, after its own conflict check. Until then, do not send confidential or privileged information about a matter.

2.3 Lawyer referrals. A referral is our recommendation of a law firm we believe is suited to the matter you describe, based on that description and on the firm’s practice. It is not a guarantee of the firm’s availability, competence or results: the firm decides whether to act for you after its own conflict check, provides any services under its own engagement terms, and is responsible for them; we do not supervise its work; and you are free to choose any lawyer. A firm we recommend may be affiliated with EnvironmentalShortcut’s owners. If it is, we will tell you and name the firm by email before your request is passed on; the request goes to that firm only if you agree, and you can ask us to recommend a different firm instead. Law firms do not pay us for referrals, and whether a firm subscribes to EnvironmentalShortcut plays no part in which firm we recommend.

3. Nature and limits of the content

3.1 Briefings, rulebook entries, calendar dates, funding entries and other content of the Service (the “Content”) are general, simplified summaries prepared from public sources, some drafted with the help of an artificial intelligence model and reviewed by a person before publication. They are not complete statements of the law. They do not identify every statute, regulation, ordinance, permit, approval, condition, program or deadline that may apply to a property, project or transaction, and coverage of federal, county and municipal requirements is selective.

3.2 Laws, rules, agency practice, programs and deadlines change, sometimes without notice. Content reflects our review as of the date shown and may be out of date, incomplete or wrong. Dates marked “reported” or “estimated” have not been confirmed in an official text.

3.3 Impact ratings, severity levels, forecasts and political analysis are opinions based on judgment and public information. They are not facts, predictions of outcome or recommendations to take or refrain from any action.

3.4 Funding and incentive entries summarize public grant, loan, tax credit, tax abatement and financing programs. Amounts, eligibility, deadlines and whether a program is accepting applications change, and awards are usually at the agency’s discretion. They are not tax, accounting, investment or financial advice; not an offer, solicitation or recommendation to buy or sell any security or interest in any fund, including any Qualified Opportunity Fund; and not a statement that you or a project qualify.

3.5 Map screening compares a location you provide with public map layers that can be out of date, coarse or wrong. A flag means a rule may apply; a clear result does not mean it does not. Screening is not a Phase I environmental site assessment, does not satisfy the federal “all appropriate inquiries” standard or any state equivalent, and is not a wetland delineation, survey, jurisdictional determination, or the judgment of a licensed site remediation professional, engineer or surveyor.

3.6 Alerts, reminders and calendars are conveniences. You remain responsible for confirming any requirement, date or figure with the official source, the responsible agency or your own qualified advisers before relying on it, for meeting your own obligations and deadlines, and for your decisions.

3.7 No duty to update. Content speaks only as of the date shown on it. We have no obligation to update, correct or supplement any Content, or to tell you that a law, rule, program, deadline or other matter it describes has changed, even if we later learn of the change. Providing an alert, update or correction does not create a duty to provide any other.

4. Accounts, trials and sign-in

4.1 You must give accurate information and keep your password, your email account and any sign-in links secure. Your password and sign-in links are personal: do not share or forward them, and do not use a password you use elsewhere. You are responsible for activity under your account. Tell us promptly at legal@environmentalshortcut.com if you believe your account has been used without authorization.

4.2 A new account is on the free plan. Each person may have one free trial of a paid plan, for the period shown when the plan is chosen (currently three days). A payment card is required to start it. UNLESS YOU CANCEL BEFORE THE TRIAL ENDS, THE PLAN YOU CHOSE BEGINS WHEN IT ENDS: YOUR CARD IS CHARGED ITS PRICE THEN, AND THE PLAN RENEWS AUTOMATICALLY UNTIL YOU CANCEL, as the Subscriber Agreement describes. You can cancel the trial online at any time from the Plan and billing page, and if you do, nothing is charged.

4.3 The owner of an organization’s account controls who belongs to it. Joining an organization’s account gives its owner and administrators access to the projects, watchlists and other information you add there, and the owner may remove you.

5. Acceptable use

5.1 You may not, and may not permit anyone to: (a) copy, republish, sell, sublicense or distribute the Service or its Content, except as these Terms or the Subscriber Agreement allow; (b) scrape, crawl, harvest or bulk-download Content, or access the Service by automated means other than features we provide for that purpose; (c) use Content to build, train or improve a competing product, dataset or artificial intelligence model; (d) share passwords or sign-in links or otherwise give access to people who are not authorized users; (e) probe, test or circumvent security or usage limits, or interfere with the Service; (f) remove proprietary notices or disclaimers; (g) submit information you have no right to share, or misuse the referral or invitation features to contact people who have not asked to be contacted; or (h) use the Service in violation of law or the rights of others.

6. Ownership and licence

6.1 The Service and its Content, including text, analysis, ratings, data compilations, designs and software, are owned by us or our licensors and protected by intellectual-property laws. Subject to these Terms and any Subscriber Agreement, we grant you a limited, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use the Service for your internal business purposes. All other rights are reserved.

6.2 Government documents and data remain public; our selection, arrangement, summaries, ratings and analysis do not. Map layers and other third-party data are used under their providers’ terms.

6.3 If you send us suggestions or feedback, we may use them without obligation to you.

7. Your Data

7.1 Information you enter, such as watchlists, projects and lawyer referral requests (“Your Data”), remains yours. You grant us the rights needed to host, process and display Your Data to provide and secure the Service. We handle personal information as described in our Privacy Notice, and we keep Your Data confidential to your organization as described in the Subscriber Agreement. We do not sell it. A referral request is shared only with the law firm we refer it to, and only if you have ticked the box agreeing to that.

7.2 You are responsible for having the right to provide Your Data and for its accuracy.

8. Third-party sources, links and services

8.1 The Service refers and links to government and other third-party websites, documents, map services and payment and email providers. We do not control and are not responsible for them, and a link is not an endorsement.

8.2 A law firm we recommend provides its services under its own engagement terms and is responsible for them; we are not.

9. Disclaimer of warranties

THE SERVICE AND ALL CONTENT ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE”. WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, TIMELINESS, MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND ANY WARRANTY THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE OR SECURE. THE ONLY WARRANTIES WE GIVE ARE THOSE STATED IN A SIGNED OR ACCEPTED SUBSCRIBER AGREEMENT.

10. Limitation of liability

10.1 EXCEPT FOR LIABILITY THAT ARISES FROM OUR GROSS NEGLIGENCE, WILFUL MISCONDUCT OR FRAUD: (A) WE WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR LOST PROFITS, REVENUE, FINANCING, INCENTIVES, BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY, PROJECT DELAY, FINES, PENALTIES OR DATA, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SERVICE OR ANY RELIANCE ON ITS CONTENT, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THEIR POSSIBILITY; AND (B) OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SERVICE OR THESE TERMS WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF THE FEES YOU PAID US FOR THE SERVICE IN THE TWELVE MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM AND ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS.

10.2 These limits apply to every theory of liability, including contract, tort (including negligence and negligent misrepresentation), strict liability and statute, and they reflect an agreed allocation of risk that is reflected in our prices. If you have a Subscriber Agreement, its limitation of liability applies instead for claims under it.

11. Indemnity

You will defend, indemnify and hold harmless us and our members, officers, employees and contractors from third-party claims, and resulting losses and reasonable attorneys’ fees, arising out of your breach of Section 5, your violation of law, or a claim that Your Data infringes or violates another person’s rights. We will give you prompt notice of the claim and let you control its defence, and you may not settle it in a way that imposes obligations on us without our consent.

12. Suspension and termination

12.1 You may stop using the Service at any time; closing a paid subscription is governed by the Subscriber Agreement.

12.2 We may suspend or end access if you materially breach these Terms, if required by law, or to protect the Service or others, and where practicable we will tell you why first.

12.3 Sections 2, 3 and 6 through 16 survive termination.

13. Changes to the Service and these Terms

13.1 We may change the Service.

13.2 We may also change these Terms; for material changes we will tell you in the Service or by email and ask you to accept the revised Terms before you continue using the Service as a signed-in user. Changes do not apply to disputes that arose before they took effect, and changes to fees or a paid term are governed by the Subscriber Agreement.

14. Governing law and disputes

14.1 These Terms are governed by the laws of [New Jersey], without regard to conflict-of-laws rules.

14.2 Before starting a lawsuit, a party must send the other a written description of the dispute, and the parties will try in good faith to resolve it for thirty days. Either party may still seek urgent relief to protect its intellectual property or confidential information.

14.3 The exclusive venue for any dispute is [the state and federal courts located in [County], [State]], and each party consents to personal jurisdiction there.

14.4 EACH PARTY WAIVES ANY RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL IN ANY DISPUTE ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SERVICE OR THESE TERMS. Each party may bring claims against the other only in its individual capacity, not as a plaintiff or class member in any class or representative action.

14.5 A claim must be brought within one year after the claimant knew or should have known of it.

15. Electronic communications and notices

You agree that we may give you notices and agreements electronically, by email to the address on your account or in the Service, and that they satisfy any requirement that they be in writing. Service emails (sign-in links, billing, security and changes to these Terms) are part of the Service; you can turn off newsletters and alerts at any time.

16. General provisions

16.1 Entire agreement. These Terms, the Disclaimer and any Subscriber Agreement are the entire agreement between you and us about the Service and replace any earlier understanding on that subject. Our Privacy Notice explains how we handle personal information.

16.2 No reliance. In accepting these Terms and using the Service, you have not relied on any statement, representation or promise by us or on our behalf that is not set out in these Terms, the Disclaimer or a Subscriber Agreement, and you will have no claim based on any such statement.

16.3 Severability and waiver. If any provision is unenforceable, it will be enforced to the maximum extent permitted and the rest remains in effect. A failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver.

16.4 Events beyond control. Neither party is liable for delay caused by events beyond its reasonable control (other than payment obligations).

16.5 Assignment; relationship. You may not assign these Terms without our consent; we may assign them to a successor to our business. There are no third-party beneficiaries. The parties are independent contractors.

16.6 Interpretation. Headings are for convenience only and do not affect the meaning of these Terms. “Including” means including without limitation.

16.7 Notices to us. Notices to us go to legal@environmentalshortcut.com and [Street address, City, State ZIP].