by Morgan Sweeney
Virginia’s permit-tracking website has expanded from including permits from three state government departments to six.
Virginia residents and businesses can now follow online in real time the permits they’ve submitted to the Virginia Department of Health, Department of Transportation, and Department of Conservation and Recreation, as well as permits from the state Department of Environmental Quality, Virginia Marine Resources Commission and Department of Energy.
“VPT is a game changer for Virginia businesses and citizens as well as state agencies,” said Director of the Office of Regulatory Management Reeve Bull. “It brings an unprecedented level of transparency to the permitting process and is already making life much easier for anyone tracking a Virginia permit.”
Due to the efficiencies the system allows, the Department of Environmental Quality – one of the original departments to implement the program – has already “reduced its average permit processing time by over 70 percent since 2022,” according to a press release from the governor’s office.
Now, the six agencies issue roughly 100,000 permits per year, which could grow due to faster processing times.
“With this expansion, Virginia is again proving to be a trendsetter in the regulatory modernization space. No other state government nor federal agency offers anything nearly as comprehensive,” according to the release.
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Morgan Sweeney is a staff writer covering Virginia and Maryland for The Center Square. Morgan was an active member of the journalism program as an undergraduate at Hillsdale College and previously freelanced for The Center Square.
Photo “Virgina Department of Highways” by Morgan Riley CC BY 3.0.
