The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) recently announced that it will no longer process incomplete or technically deficient permit applications, a change aimed at streamlining the permitting and reducing backlogs and delays caused by incomplete submissions that consume staff time and slow the review of other applications in the queue.
Under the new policy, DEQ will no longer process incomplete or technically deficient applications and will withdraw or deny such applications following a 15-day grace period after submission materials are due. The Department identified repeated staff requests for missing information as a leading source of permitting delays, noting that these follow-ups divert capacity from higher-priority work and slow the issuance of other permits already under review.
The policy builds on the Department’s ongoing efforts to expedite permit processing, which have significantly reduced review timelines despite growing application volume and complexity. The Department credits the progress to several initiatives, including the Permitting Enhancement and Evaluation Platform (PEEP), which enhances transparency and accountability, along with updated application completeness checklists and new certification programs.
What Applicants Should Know
DEQ has posted application completeness checklists for every permitting program on its website. According to the Department, the checklists reflect current regulatory requirements, internal procedures, and required submission information. Reviewing the relevant checklist carefully before filing will be important to avoid triggering the 15-day clock without a clear path to completion.
The Department also emphasized that responsibility runs both ways, stating that “attention to detail must be a two-way street for both permittees and DEQ staff.”
Resources
- Full DEQ Announcement: DEQ to Stop Processing Incomplete Permitting Applications
- Application Completeness Checklists: Department of Environmental Quality