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 IV Special permit to conduct a forest practice in Eastern Washington is called a Class IV-S Forest Practices Application (Class IV-S FPA). This permit type is for forest practice activities that have the potential for a substantial impact on the environment. The following activities are examples of the types of proposals that may qualify for the Class IV-S FPA permit in Eastern Washington: specified forest practices on lands designated as critical habitat of threatened or endangered species, forest practices activities within the boundaries of a national, state, or any park of a local government, forest practices on potentially unstable slopes or landforms that have the potential to deliver sediment or debris to a public resource or have the potential to threaten public safety. Most Class IV-S FPAs have a minimum review period of 14 days. The review period for Class IV-S FPAs can extend out to 30, 60, or 90 days depending on the type of FPA submitted. Below is a bulleted explanation of these review periods:

• Standard Class IV-S FPA = maximum 30 day review period (14 minimum). (See RCW 76.09.050(1) and WAC 222-12-030(4))
• Class IV-S FPAs containing certain hydraulic work= 60 day review period (44 minimum). (See RCW 76.09.050(1) and WAC 222-12-030(4) and WAC 222-20-017)
• Class IV-S 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(4)(a) and WAC 222-20-016)

Who issues this permit?

Department of Natural Resources

How much will this permit cost?

The fee for a Class IV-S 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?

Targeted date of 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: 1

Estimated Time Required By the Agency to Issue a Permit Decision (Definition)
Average number of days from Complete Application to Decision: 16.7
Maximum number of days from Complete Application to Decision: 20

(Summary results based on 7 submittals in 2023)

Where can I get permitting assistance?

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

* Permit information last updated 8/17/2016