Permitting Digitalization in Virginia

Virginia stands out from other states in its permitting reform efforts because it has really nailed transparent permitting, and in doing so, significantly cut down the processing time for most state permits. Significantly, the state’s efforts prove that executives, Governors, cabinet secretaries, and other senior leaders, can often achieve dramatic improvements in speed without new legislation, litigation, or the elimination of permitting processes entirely.

Beginning with the state Department of Environmental Qualities’ Permitting Enhancement and Evaluation Platform (PEEP), the state has now rolled out the broader Virginia Permit Transparency (VPT) system, which covers more than 200 different types of permits and processes over 100,000 applications annually.

This brief, compiled through a series of anonymous interviews with staff from both the Governor’s office and the state’s DEQ explores how Virginia was able to successfully implement such significant reforms.