Environmental permitting today is a complex process that can impose significant costs on firms. To simplify this process, many state and local governments have created permit assistance programs, often referring to them as “one-stop permitting” programs. In this article, specific ways are described in which permit assistance offices can improve the permitting process and how they complement other permit reforms. By surveying the nation’s most comprehensive state-level programs, it is found that most permit assistance programs serve primarily as clearinghouses for information. Far fewer programs provide permit applicants a single point of contact in the regulatory agency, comprehensive compliance counseling, or ongoing help with monitoring and reporting. It is also found that program coverage is uneven, both between and within states. Finally, no significant differences are found between programs that refer to themselves as “one stop” and those that do not.
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