Introduction to ePermitting
The ePermitting system provides Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) customers and employees the ability to process applications for Highway Occupancy Permits (including Traffic Signal permits) and Bridge Occupancy Licenses online.
The system replaces the manual process that required applicants to complete a paper form and deliver multiple copies of documentation to a PennDOT district or county office. The new ePermitting system eliminates the trip to the PennDOT office and is designed to increase review efficiency and decrease the time from initial application submission to permit issuance.
PennDOT's ePermitting customers are anyone who requires highway access for their home or business, or utility access in a road or highway right-of-way. Applicants include developers, engineering firms, utility companies, and home owners.
An application for a Highway Occupancy Permit (HOP) goes through four phases, Application, Submission, Review, and Response, and possibly more than one review cycle before it is approved and the permit issued. In each phase, specific activities must be completed before an application continues through the process.
The Application process starts with completion and submission of a Highway Occupancy Permit application with required electronic attachments. Attachments are the documents, photographs, or drawings, required to illustrate and explain the work identified on an application. Attachments must be available for PennDOT to begin the review process. The result of the review process is a response from PennDOT notifying an applicant that their application has been approved and that their permit is available to print, or that additional information is needed.
The system eliminates the need to use a separate system to produce and print permits, deliver permits by mail, and handle and store paper documents for each application.
Objectives
Develop a web-based system to support the Highway Occupancy Permit process
Build an architectural framework for all Permit types
Efficient permitting process supported by a flexible web-based system
Applicant access through a web-based application
Transparency: Ease of tracking permits and permit status both internally and externally
Robust reporting
Drivers
Governor's number 8 of 50 ways to rebuild PA: Eliminate permit backlog at state agencies like DEP and PennDOT
Improve customer service
Improve management of Highway Occupancy Permit process
Reduce application errors