Permit Application Assistance Manual
The public notice document must advise the notified party(s) of their right to an informal public hearing. To request a hearing, a petition that satisfies the criteria established by the Public Hearings Rule must be filed with the Department:
- The petition shall include the signatures of at least twenty-five (25) individuals who are at least eighteen (18) years of age and who reside in the county where the licensed activity would take place or who own real property within one (1) mile of the site of the proposed or existing licensed activity.
- The complete mailing addresses of the petitioners shall be typed or printed legibly on the petition.
- Each individual who signs the petition shall affirm that the individual qualifies under subsection (b).
- The petition shall identify the application for which a public hearing is sought, either by division docket [application] number or by the name of the applicant and the location of the permit."
Petitions that do not meet the criteria will be deemed invalid and will not be honored. If the Department denies an application because it was incomplete, the application does not qualify for an informal public hearing under the Public Hearings Rule.
A person can submit a petition even if they do not receive public notice. The criteria listed above must still be met in order to qualify for an informal public hearing.
In addition to the filing of a petition, an informal public hearing may also be held at the request of the applicant or the motion of the director.