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1.
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Permit applicants
have the right to assistance in understanding regulatory and permit
requirements. All Cal/EPA programs maintain an Ombudsman to work
directly with applicants. Permit Assistance Centers located
throughout California have permit specialists from state,
regional, and local agencies to identify permit requirements
and assist in permit processing. |
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2.
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Permit applicants
have the right to know the projected fees for review of applications,
how any costs will be determined and billed, and
procedures for resolving any disputes over fee billings. |
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3.
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Permit applicants
have the right of access to complete and clearly written guidance
documents that explain the regulatory requirements. Agencies
must publish a list of all information required in a
permit application and of criteria used to determine
whether the submitted information is adequate. |
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4.
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Permit applicants
have the right of timely completeness determinations for
their applications. In general, agencies
notify the applicant within 30 days of any
deficiencies or determine that the application is
complete. California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
and public hearing requests may require additional information. |
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5.
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Permit applicants
have the right to know exactly how their applications are deficient
and what further information is needed to make their
applications complete. Pursuant to California Government Code
Section 65944, after an application is accepted as complete,
an agency may not request any new or additional information
that was not specified in the original application. |
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6.
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Permit applicants
have the right of a timely decision on their permit application. The
agencies are required to establish time limits for permit
reviews. |
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7.
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Permit applicants
have the right to appeal permit review time limits by statute or
administratively that have been violated without good cause. For state
environmental agencies, appeals are made directly to the
Cal/EPA Secretary or to a specific board. For
local environmental agencies, appeals are generally made to
the local governing board or, under certain circumstances, to
Cal/EPA. Through this appeal, applicants may obtain
a set date for a decision on their permit and in some
cases a refund of all application fees (ask boards
and departments for details). |
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8.
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Permit applicants
have the right to work with a single lead agency where multiple
environmental approvals are needed. For multiple permits, all agency
actions can be consolidated under a lead agency. For site
remediation, all applicable laws can be administered through a
single lead agency. |
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9.
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Permit applicants
have the right to know who will be reviewing their application and
the time required to complete the full review process. |
