Permit Performance Standards

In 1987, the Legislature established an annual report to track fees collected by each permit program, the average number of days required to issue each permit, whether DEC’s permit fees cover DEC’s permit costs, and recommendations for improving performance. This report is commonly referred to as the PEP report. Guidelines for calculating “DEC days” are contained in DEC’s 1996 Permit Review Procedure. Over the years, inconsistencies within the report have developed. DEC provides data on some permit programs but not all, for no apparent reason. The calculation of “DEC days” varies from program to program, despite the procedure adopted in 1996. Some programs find the report useful and relevant, others do not.