Overview
When a permit reaches the end of its term, you don't start over. Renew creates a new permit directly from the existing one: the original's limits, sample report configurations, and form content are carried into the wizard with new dates, and the two permits stay linked. When nothing changed between terms, a renewal is a matter of reviewing the pre-filled dates and signing.
Starting a renewal
Open the permit. The Renew action appears in the upper right when the permit is Active or Expired (and not archived).
Click Renew. The wizard opens with Renew Permit as its title and a banner confirming what carried over: "This permit is being renewed from [the original permit]. The template and location are locked. Dates, limits, sample report configurations, and form content are pre-populated from the original permit."
đĄ A permit can have only one renewal. If one already exists (draft, upcoming, or active), you can't renew the original again: discard the draft or cancel the upcoming renewal first, or renew the renewal instead.
What's pre-filled, and what you can change
Step 1: Template Selection. The template and Industrial User are locked. The dates are pre-filled to start right where the original ends, with the same term length. For a 01/01/2026â12/31/2026 permit, the renewal offers 01/01/2027â12/31/2027. Both dates are editable, but the effective date can't be earlier than the original permit's effective date.
Step 2: Limits. The original permit's limits come pre-selected, matched against the outfalls' current limits:
Limits still on the outfalls appear pre-selected.
Limits deleted or made inactive since the original was issued don't appear.
Limits added to the outfalls since then are available to add, just not auto-selected.
Add, create, edit, or remove limits exactly as when creating a permit. The pre-selection is a starting point, not a constraint.
Step 3: Sample Report Configurations. The original's active industry configurations are copied into new ones for the renewal, with the same analytes, requirements, and outfall assignments; the originals stay untouched. Recurring schedules keep their pattern (monthly stays monthly), shifted onto the renewal's dates; date-list schedules shift by the same offset as the new term. Confirm each industry configuration's schedule before continuing. Removing a copied configuration deletes it (it exists only for this renewal); the original permit keeps its own.
If the original permit has no active configurations, this step reads No sample report configuration added yet. There was nothing to copy, and you can add one here.
Step 4: Fill Form. The document opens with the original's content: permit name, conditions, narrative, and field values. The permit number is blank: give the renewal its own number.
Step 5: Review & Sign. Review the PDF, type your name, and click Finish to activate.
If any of the renewal's sample report schedules start before today (which can happen when you renew an Expired permit, because the new term starts where the original ended), a Backdated Permit window appears first. Reports dated in the past would be created as past due and may immediately generate violations, so choose the date to Begin creating sample reports from, anywhere from the effective date through today (it starts at the effective date), and click Done. Cancel returns you to Step 5 without activating.
If the permit's template has no limits table, the Limits step is skipped. If it has no sample report table, the Sample Report Configurations step is skipped.
Renewing early: the overlap handoff
If you set the renewal's effective date before the original expires, the system catches it when you finish. A Permit Effective Date Change window appears:
"The previous permit does not expire until [date]. Changing the new permit effective date to be before that time will terminate the previous permit early to prevent overlap."
Click Confirm Change, and the original permit is scheduled to terminate one minute before the renewal takes effect. Until then it stays Active. Its overview shows both the scheduled termination and the original expiration, plus the link to the renewal. When the termination lands, the usual cascade applies: the original's industry configurations end, and its unsubmitted reports due after that date are removed. Submitted history is preserved.
â ď¸ Once a renewal is signed (upcoming or active), the original permit can't be terminated manually. Termination is managed by the renewal. Cancel the renewal first if you need manual control back. A draft renewal doesn't block termination.
Changed your mind? An upcoming renewal's overview page has a Cancel Renewal action. Canceling deletes the renewal and clears the original's scheduled termination, so it runs its normal course again.
Following the paper trail
The renewed permit shows Renewed From: a link to the original (by permit number).
The original shows Renewal: a link to its renewal.
On the permit's overview page, these appear only when there's a link. Both are also columns in the permits list, which shows a dash for permits with no lineage.
Pausing and resuming
Save and exit at any step. The renewal stays a Draft. Resume it from the permits list or from the Renewal link on the original; either one reopens the wizard. Everything holds on resume: the locked fields, the date rules, and your limit and configuration selections. To discard a draft renewal, click Delete Permit in the wizard and confirm. That releases the original for a fresh renewal.
FAQ
Q: Why is there no Renew action on my permit?
A: Renewals start from Active or Expired permits only (and not archived ones). Wait until the permit is active, or check whether it's archived.
Q: Why do I see "Renewal Failed" when I click Renew?
A: A renewal for this permit already exists. If it's a draft, open it from the permits list and finish or discard it. If it's upcoming, cancel it first. If it's already active, renew that permit instead.
Q: Why won't the effective date go earlier?
A: It can't predate the original permit's effective date. Pick a date after the original's start.
Q: Why can't I terminate the original permit?
A: A signed renewal exists, and termination is managed by it. Cancel the renewal, then terminate manually.
Q: Why is Renew grayed out?
A: A revision is in the way. The tooltip says which: a revision draft is still open, or an upcoming revision is scheduled. A permit can't have a revision and a renewal in progress at once. Complete or discard the draft in the revision wizard, or cancel the upcoming revision in Revision History.
Q: Why does my expired permit's renewal show no overlap warning?
A: The warning only appears when you renew an Active permit early. By default an expired permit's renewal starts right after the old term ends. If you move its effective date back before the original's expiration date, the original is recorded as terminated one minute before the renewal starts.
Q: Why did a Backdated Permit window appear when I clicked Finish?
A: At least one of the renewal's sample report schedules starts before today. Reports dated in the past would be created as past due, so the window asks which date to begin creating sample reports from.