Forest Practices Approval/Notification - Eastern Washington, Class III

What is the purpose of this permit?

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) regulates forest practices on private and state forest land. A permit is not required for every forest practice, but the forest practices rules must be followed when conducting all forest practices activities. There are five classes of forest practices depending on the types of activities being proposed and their potential impact to public resources (see WAC 222-16-050). Once an application is received by the DNR it gets assigned a classification which in turn determines the type of permit.

A Class III permit to conduct a forest practice in Eastern Washington is called a Forest Practices Application (FPA). This permit type is for forest practice activities that have been determined to have an ordinary potential to damage a public resource. The following activities are examples of the types of proposals that may qualify for the FPA permit in Eastern Washington: projects in or over streams or wetlands, aerial applications of chemicals, proposals containing alternate plans, and harvests exceeding nineteen acres in areas designated as difficult to regenerate. Most Class III FPAs have a minimum review period of 14 days. The review periods for Class III FPAs can extend out to 30, 45, 60, or 90 days depending on the type of FPA submitted. Below is a bulleted explanation of these review periods:

Standard Class III FPA = maximum 30 day review period (14 minimum). (See RCW 76.09.050(1) and WAC 222-12-030(3))
Class III FPAs containing requests for multi-year (4 or 5) applications = 45 day review period (14 minimum). (See RCW 76.09.060(6)(d) and WAC 222-12-030(3)(a))
Class III FPAs containing certain hydraulic work = 60 day review period (44 minimum). (See RCW 76.09.050(1) and WAC 222-12-030(3)(c) and WAC 222-20-017)
Class III FPAs containing Long Term Applications = two 45 day reviews; 90 days total (two separate 14 day periods mandatory; 28 total days minimum). (See RCW 76.09.050(1) and WAC 222-12-030(3)(b) and WAC 222-20-016)

Who issues this permit?

Department of Natural Resources (DNR)

How much will this permit cost?

The fee for a Class III FPA is $150 unless the landowner is considered a small forest landowner and the proposal is being conducted on a single continuous ownership consisting of one or more parcels. (see RCW 76.09.065(1)(A)and(B))

Where can I get the application for this permit?

The application is online and can be accessed at http://www.dnr.wa.gov/programs-and-services/forest-practices/review-applications-fpars/forest-practices-forms-and.

How long will it take to review my application?

Target date September 2014.

Permit Timeliness Results

Permit Timeliness data collection is in response to a State Auditor’s Performance Audit and RCW 43.42A. Each regulatory agency developed a plan to improve permit clarity, predictability, and timeliness. Each agency considers the customers experience to ensure permit assistance is simple to use, easy to access, and designed in a customer-friendly manner. Agencies report progress to the Governor’s Office for Regulatory Innovation and Assistance (ORIA). ORIA prepares and distributes reports, with participation from the State Auditor’s Office and Results Washington. See latest report here: https://www.oria.wa.gov/ORIA-2020-PermitTimelinessProgressReport.pdf.

All permits submitted for reporting were entered into this Regulatory Handbook. Here are the results of the performance data:

Estimated Time Required By the Agency to Process a Permit Application (Definition)
Average number of days from Receipt to Complete: 1
Maximum number of days from Receipt to Complete: 4

Estimated Time Required By the Agency to Issue a Permit Decision (Definition)
Average number of days from Complete Application to Decision: 13.5
Maximum number of days from Complete Application to Decision: 22

(Summary results based on 1815 submittals in 2023)

Where can I get permitting assistance?

Helpdesk phone: (360) 902-1400
Subject matter expert phone: (360) 902-1400
Subject matter expert email: fpd@dnr.wa.gov

Statewide Contact:

Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
Headquarters
1111 Washington Street SE
PO Box 47000
Olympia, WA 98504-7000
Toll Free: 1-800-527-3305
Website: http://www.dnr.wa.gov/

* Permit information last updated 8/17/2016

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