Who this article is for: Authority users who manage discharge permits.
Overview
In a pretreatment program, permits define the discharge requirements for an Industrial User — effluent limits, sampling requirements, and reporting schedules. In SwiftComply, permits are created through a multi-step wizard and move through several statuses during their lifecycle. The actions available on a permit depend on its current status.
To view all permits, click Permitting in the left sidebar. Click any permit to open its detail page.
Permit Statuses
Status | Description | Available Actions |
Draft | The permit is being built in the wizard. It was last saved during Step 1, 2, or 3. | Edit, Delete |
Pending | The permit was saved during Step 4 (Review & Sign). It is ready to be signed but has not yet been finalized. | Edit, Delete |
Active | The permit has been signed and its effective date has arrived. It is in effect and enforceable. | Terminate |
Upcoming | The permit has been signed but its effective date is in the future. It will automatically become Active on the effective date. | Terminate |
Terminated | The permit was intentionally ended before its expiration date. | Archive |
Expired | The permit reached its expiration date and is no longer in effect. | Archive |
Archived | The permit has been archived for record-keeping. Hidden from default views but still accessible. | Unarchive |
How Status Is Determined Before Signing
A permit's pre-signing status is determined by where it was last saved in the wizard:
Draft — saved during Step 1 (Template Selection), Step 2 (Fill Form), or Step 3 (Schedule Requirements)
Pending — saved during Step 4 (Review & Sign)
Status can move both forwards and backwards. If a Pending permit is edited and the user navigates back to Step 2 and saves there, the permit reverts to Draft. If they then proceed back to Step 4 and save, it returns to Pending.
Lifecycle Flow
Draft → Pending → Active or Upcoming → Terminated or Expired → Archived
Permit Detail Page
Click any permit in the permits table to view its details. The detail page shows:
Permit summary fields — Permit Name, Status, Industrial User, Industry ID, Permit Number, Effective Date, Expiration Date, Termination Date, Signed By, Signed On, Analytes, and Rationale.
Discharge Limits — The effluent limits associated with the permit.
SMR w/ Requirements — The sampling configurations linked to this permit.
Permit PDF — An expandable accordion showing the generated PDF document (available for all statuses except Draft). See the Permit PDF section below for details.
Attachments — Any files attached to the permit record.
Editing a Permit
Editing is only available for permits in Draft or Pending status.
Navigate to Permitting in the left sidebar.
Click the permit row to open it.
Click the Edit button on the permit detail page.
The system opens the permit wizard where you can modify the relevant steps.
Saving at any step updates the permit status based on which step you saved from.
Deleting a Permit
Deleting is only available for permits in Draft or Pending status.
From the permit detail page, click the Delete button.
Confirm the deletion in the dialog.
⚠️ Warning: Deleting a permit permanently removes it and its associated template document from the system. This action cannot be undone.
Terminating a Permit
Termination is available for permits in Active or Upcoming status. This is a permanent action that ends the permit and its associated sampling requirements.
Open the permit detail page.
Click Terminate.
In the termination dialog, select a Termination Date (must be after the effective date and not in the future), and type the permit name to confirm.
Click Terminate to finalize.
⚠️ Important: Terminating a permit also terminates any active Sample Report Configurations linked to it. Sample reports in Scheduled or Draft status are deleted. Past Due and Submitted reports are preserved.
💡 Tip: Termination can be backdated to any date after the effective date. Choose the termination date carefully, as termination is permanent and cannot be reversed.
For details on how termination affects linked sampling requirements, see How Permits and Sample Report Configurations Work Together. For details on terminating individual SRCs, see Sample Report Configurations: Types, Lifecycle, and Management.
What Happens When a Permit Expires
When a permit reaches its expiration date, the status automatically changes to Expired. The permit PDF and all historical data remain accessible. Linked SMRCs are not automatically terminated when a permit expires — to end sampling requirements, terminate the permit explicitly or terminate each SMRC individually.
Archiving and Unarchiving
Archiving is available for permits in Terminated or Expired status. Click Archive on the permit detail page to hide it from the default permit list. The record is preserved and remains accessible.
Unarchiving restores an archived permit to its previous status (Terminated or Expired). Click Unarchive on the archived permit's detail page.
Permit PDF
Once a permit has been signed (or reaches the Review & Sign step), a PDF is generated automatically and available on the permit detail page.
Which Permits Have PDFs
PDFs are available for permits in Pending, Active, Upcoming, Terminated, and Expired statuses. Draft permits do not have a PDF.
Viewing the PDF
Expand the Permit PDF accordion on the permit detail page to view the document inline.
PDF Viewer Features
Feature | Description |
Search | Search within the PDF text to find specific terms, analytes, or limit values. |
Page Navigation | Use previous/next buttons or enter a page number to jump to a specific page. |
Zoom | Choose from Automatic Zoom, Page Fit, Page Width, or fixed levels (50% through 200%). |
Download | Save the PDF file to your computer. |
Send the PDF to your printer via your browser's print dialog. | |
Add Page Numbers | Add sequential page numbers to the document if not already present. |
FAQ
Q: Can an IU have multiple active permits?
A: Yes, there is no restriction on the number of active permits per Industrial User.
Q: Can I reactivate a terminated permit?
A: No. Once a permit is terminated, it cannot be reactivated. You must create a new permit if needed.
Q: What is the difference between Terminated and Expired?
A: Terminated means the permit was intentionally ended before its expiration date. Expired means the permit reached its natural expiration date automatically.
Q: Can I backdate a termination?
A: Yes. The termination date picker allows you to select any past date after the permit's effective date.
Q: What happens to sample reports when I terminate a permit?
A: Active Sample Report Configurations linked to the permit are terminated. Sample reports in Scheduled or Draft status are deleted. Past Due and Submitted reports are preserved.
Q: How do I view archived permits?
A: Use the archive filter or toggle on the permits list to include archived permits in the view.