Completing an Application

Agencies configure the specific sections and fields for each type of application. Regardless of these specifics, the general interface for completing an application is consistent.

Applications for business license renewals and amendments also follow this process. For more information, see Applying for a Business License Renewal and Applying for a Business License Amendment.

This example illustrates an application.

Note: An anonymous public user who starts an application must sign in before the application pages appear. Users who have not previously registered must register first.

Data Entry Pages

The application begins with data entry steps that the agency configures. There can be one or many data entry steps. Agencies configure the sections and fields for each data entry step.

Data entry sections are generally self-explanatory, but the following table includes notes about certain sections:

Sections in an application

Section	Notes
Applicant	All applications include this section, which is used to identify the applicant. When a registered public user starts an application, this section is prepopulated, and certain identifying fields are read-only. Updates made to the address, phone, or email when applying can be saved to the user’s account profile. Agency staff members who complete an application on behalf of a member of the public must identify the applicant by selecting an active profile for an existing registered user or by registering a new user. When registering a new user, the staff member can continue with the application after entering and submitting the required registration information. A confirmation email is sent to the account email address so the user can complete the registration process by clicking the provided link and setting an account password. The registration is valid even if the agent abandons the application. Staff members can’t accept the terms of use on behalf of users that they register. Instead, users are prompted to accept the terms when they first sign in. Registered users and agency staff with appropriate permissions can update the applicant’s address, phone, or email in subsequent applications and optionally save the changes to the user’s account profile. System administrators can also update account information. See The Public User Registration Process
Application	The Application section includes the record ID and a field where applicants can enter a description. Agency staff also provide the date the application was received while entering data into the system. The received date field isn’t available for applicants applying online.
Terms and Conditions	If a data entry step includes the Terms and Conditions section, public users must agree to the terms before continuing past that step. Agency staff can’t accept terms on behalf of a public user, so this section is hidden from agency staff.
Contacts	All applications: The Contacts section lists people who are contacts for this specific application. These people can be, but aren’t required to be, the applicant’s profile contacts. Select an existing contact from a list, or enter information for a new contact on the Contact Details page. All application contacts must have a contact type that describes the role of the person relative to the specific application. Permits and planning applications: On the Contact Details page for new contacts, use the Add to Profile switch to replicate the new contact to the applicant’s list of profile contacts. On the Contact Details page for already-added contacts, use the Update Profile switch to replicate any changes (such as an updated email or phone number) to the profile contact. This switch appears only if the contact is already a profile contact. Contacts entered in the Contractor section in the application appear in both the Contractor and Contacts sections. Permit and planning application access: If the contact type is configured to allow permit or planning application access, and the contact email matches the account email for a registered user, then that registered user can access the permit or planning application. When prompting for a contact type, the user can see which types allow permit or planning application access. The list of contacts for the application includes columns that display the contact type and whether permit or planning application access is enabled for that type. The page where you enter or edit contact details includes explanatory text to ensure that users are aware when the selected contact type confers permit or planning application access. For more details about a contact’s access to a permit or planning application, see Setting Up Contact Types.
Contractor	Applicants who self-identify or are identified by agency staff as contractors (or their authorized agents) are required to select a contractor license. Applicants can search by license number, business, or owner to retrieve information about the license from the agency’s main contractor records, if the information already exists there. If you integrate with an external licensing body, the information can be retrieved from the licensing body’s records. Applicants who are not contractors or authorized agents, such as homeowners, can optionally add contractors to their applications. The same is true for agency staff who are applying on behalf of this type of applicant. Only system administrators can modify contractor information in an application. For more information, see Contractor License Overview.

Note: Conditions applied by agency staff to an address, parcel, contractor, or person may prevent you from submitting any new permit or planning application that contains the object. Agency staff must resolve conditions before you can proceed.

Review Page

A Review step appears after the last data entry step for an application. The page for the Review step shows all of the data entry sections on a single long read-only page.

Confirmation Page

If the application includes a confirmation page, it appears after the review page. This page can have any name.

A common scenario is to show a fee summary on the confirmation page. Displaying a read-only fee summary at the very end of the application, after all data entry is complete, ensures that the fee calculations are final.

Single Page View and Multi-Page View

A drop-down field at the top of the application page lists the steps, including data entry pages, the Review page, and the confirmation page. Selecting a step takes the user directly to that step.

The final item on the step list is an option to toggle between the Single-Page View and Multi-Page View.

In single-page view, all of the data entry steps are combined into a single step labeled Step 1: Single-Page View. The review and confirmation steps remain separate.

General Navigation Controls

The banner above the application form includes these buttons for general navigation:

• Previous and Next buttons enable users to move through the steps.

• On the final step, a Submit button replaces the Next button.

  Submitting an application initiates the workflow for the application. Registered public users can’t make changes to submitted applications.

  Note: After submitting a business license application, you can’t make changes to the business information. Once the license is approved, you follow the amendment process for any changes. See Applying for a Business License Amendment.

• The Save button lets users save their progress without submitting the application.

  You’ll see warnings when you save an incomplete application, but you can still save the application and complete it later.

• The Close Application button closes the application and discards unsaved changes.

  A warning message gives users a chance to return to the application instead of closing it.