Setting Up Planning Application Types

Define the types of planning applications supported by an agency, including preapplications. You add a planning application type and associate workflow process definitions on the Planning Application Type definition page.

Before you can create an application form, you must first create a planning application or preapplication type on the Planning Application Type definition page. The type defines attributes that will be available for the planning application or preapplication.

Adding Planning Application Type Definitions

  1. Select Planning and Zoning Setup > Planning Application Type > Planning Applications.

  2. On the Transaction Type – Planning Applications page, click the Add button.

  3. On the Planning Type Applications page, enter values for the following fields:

    Page Element

    Description

    Classification

    Displays the type of application. The classification for this page indicates this is a planning application.

    Subclassification

    Displays the subclassification of the application type.

    If you would like to create a preapplication type, select Pre-Application from the drop-down list. The default value is Not Applicable, which indicates a standard planning application.

    Planning Application Type

    Enter a name for the type of planning application.

    Planning Application Type ID

    Enter a unique alphanumeric code or short name for the planning application type. Do not use special characters, including symbols or punctuation, or spaces.

    Status

    Select from the following to indicate the planning application type status:

    • Preliminary: The planning application type is being defined but is not available for use.

    • Ready: The planning application type is ready to be accessed from the landing page for testing or production use, depending on the environment.

    • Void: The transaction type is no longer available.

    Note:

    The form design can be in published status or draft status and be set to Ready. In draft status, the form can be accessed from outside the form designer—such as the Apply page—for testing purposes in the development or test environment.

    Form Design Status

    A read-only field indicating whether the form design is published or currently being developed.

    • Draft: The form design is currently being created or modified. Form designs in draft status are not migrated to other environments and can’t be cloned.

    • Published: The form design is complete. Form designs in published status can be migrated to other environments and can be cloned.

    Autonumber Rule

    Select the autonumbering rule to increment numbers for planning applications.

    You can delete the autonumbering rule when it isn’t being used by any transaction types.

    Caution:

    The system generated application ID is based on the autonumber rule definition. Therefore, when selecting the autonumber rule, you must ensure that its rule definition generates a unique application ID. Failing to do so can result in duplicate application IDs, which will cause issues in the planning application.

    For more information, see Setting Up Autonumbering.

    Valid from Date and Valid to Date

    Enter a range of dates when this planning application type is valid. The default from date is the current date. The default end date is Open. You can update these dates as needed.

    Public User Enabled

    Select from the following to indicate whether the intake form can be accessed and by which user types:

    • Enabled for all users: Only registered public users and agency users can access the intake form.

    • Enabled for registered users: Only registered public users and agency users can access the intake form.

    • Not enabled for public users (default): Only agency users can access the intake form.

    Note:

    Currently, Enabled for all users and Enabled for registered users have equivalent access.

    Hearing

    Select whether public hearings are applicable or not applicable to this planning application type.

    For more information, see Setting Up Hearing and Decision Making Bodies and Setting Up Hearing Decisions.

    Application Group

    Select an application transaction group that you want to associate with the planning application type.

    For more information, see Setting Up Transaction Groups.

    Category

    Select a transaction category that you want to associate with the planning application type.

    For more information, see Setting Up Transaction Categories.

    Subcategory

    Select a transaction subcategory that you want to associate with the planning application type.

    For more information, see Setting Up Transaction Subcategories.

    Activity Group

    Select an activity group with the activities that you want to use for tracking planning application task due dates. Whenever an application of this application type is submitted, activities set up and mapped to the transaction type are added to the planning application’s activity tracking page.

    For more information, see Setting Up Activity Tracking.

    Document Group

    Select a document group to manage attachments for the planning application type.

    When you specify a document group, document attachments can be classified into categories and subcategories during the application process and when you upload files. Then you can see the category for a document on the attachments page in the application details.

    If you add a document group to this planning application type and the document group includes document categories that are configured to identify required documents, the Required Documents section appears on the application intake form and the Attachments page in the planning application details. The system checks for uploaded attachments with the required category or category and subcategory pair at different steps in the application and displays an error if the required documents haven't been added. For more information about required documents, see Setting Up Required Documents.

    For more information, see Setting Up Document Groups.

    Fee Schedule

    Select a fee schedule that you want to associate with the planning application type. A department is required when you enter a fee schedule ID.

    For more information, see Setting Up Fee Schedules.

    Bill Type

    Select a bill type to associate with the planning application type.

    The billing type identifies the type of invoice that can be generated from the record. The bill type is required.

    For more information, see Setting Up Bill Types.

    Department

    Select a department that you want to associate with the planning application type. A department is required if you add a Fee Schedule ID to the planning application type.

    If a department is specified on the Fee Item setup page, the fee item department overrides the department specified here on the planning application type.

    For more information, see Setting Up Departments.

    Meeting Template

    Select a meeting template that should be applied to this planning application type.

    For more information, see Setting Up Meetings.

    Terms of Use ID

    Select a terms of use definition to associate with the planning application type. The available values for planning applications are determined by the usage on the terms of use ID.

    For more information, see Setting Up Terms of Use.

    Report Group

    Enter the name of the notice and report group to be associated with the planning application type.

    For more information, see Setting Up Notice and Report Groups.

    Description

    Enter a user-facing description of the planning application type. On the Apply page, this description appears under the application type name.

    The description helps public users understand the purpose of the application type.

    URL

    Enter a URL for a web page that gives public users more information about the planning application type.

    If you enter a URL, then a Learn More link appears at the end of the application type description on the Apply page. The user clicks this link to open the specified URL.

    If you leave this field blank, the Learn More link is not visible on the Apply page.

Setting Up Conditions of Approval

In the Conditions of Approval section, you enter the report ID and template that associate with this planning application type. The report ID determines the type of report that should be printed to list the conditions of approval and the conditions of approval template determines the conditions of approval that will be applied to the planning application.

For more information about conditions of approval, see Setting Up Conditions of Approval Templates.

Setting Up Planning Application Expiration

In the Expiration section, you can enter the expiration group that defines the expiration rules for this planning application or preapplication type. Expiration rules determine the expiration dates that correspond to application activity. For more information about planning application and preapplication expiration, see Setting Up Planning Application Expiration Rules.

Setting Up Workflow for a Planning Application

Workflow provides a defined structure for business licenses, permits, planning applications, and code enforcement life cycles. Each transaction is associated with a workflow process definition that guides the transaction automatically through the process of application submission to completion.

You set up workflow process definitions in OCI Process Automation before associating the workflow with the planning application type.

For more information, see Using Workflow and Setting Up Process Definitions for Workflow.

Select the No Application Workflow checkbox if you want to process the planning application without Workflow functionality. Plan reviews is automatically disabled for the planning applications without workflow. When applicants submit the form and pay the due fees, the application status changes to Completed. There are no actions for the agency staff.

You can configure the Business Rules Framework and the communication event to send out notifications to applicants and contacts on planning applications and preapplications. The system sends notification to contacts and applications on the intake form when the application status changes to Completed.

To configure the business rules framework, access the Planning Application and Preapplication Updated event for planning application or preapplication and add a new business rule to trigger the Send Communication action. In the business rule details, set the value for the field No Application Workflow = Yes so that the Send Communication action is triggered for applications set up without workflow. To configure communication, access the Planning Application and Preapplication Updated communication event and define a new communication template that will be triggered by the business rule framework's action. For information on setting up actions related to workflow, see Setting Up Update Workflow Actions and for information on setting up communications, see Delivered Communication Events and Setting Up Send Communication Actions.

To set up workflow for a planning application:

  1. In the Workflow Setup section on Planning Application Type page, enter values for the following fields:

    Page Element

    Description

    Space Name

    Enter the space where the workflow process application is stored. You can group related applications in a space as well as enable users to collaborate when developing applications.

    Note:

    This field is available only if your agency has selected the Oracle Integration Cloud (OIC) option for the Workflow and DMN Source feature in the Functional Setup Manager.

    If the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Process Automation option is selected, then the Space Name field is not available.

    Application ID

    Enter the name of the workflow process application in OIC. For more information, see Creating and Managing Applications.

    Version

    Enter the version of the workflow process application.

    Note: If you update the version, the new version will apply only to applications submitted after the new version has gone into effect. The existing submitted applications will continue to use the version that was effective at the time the application was submitted.

    Process Definition

    Enter the name of the workflow process definition that applies to this particular planning application.

Note:

Different planning application types can utilize the same workflow definition.

Setting Up Plan Reviews for a Planning Application Type

Define how plan reviews are conducted for planning applications associated with the planning application type.

  1. Select Planning and Zoning Setup > Planning Application Type > Planning Applications.

  2. On the Transaction Type – Planning Applications page, click the Add button or select an existing planning application type.

  3. In the Plan Reviews section on Planning Application Type page, enter values for the following fields:

    Page Element

    Description

    Enable Plan Review

    Select this option to enable plan review for planning applications associated with this planning application type. When plan review is enabled, you can create both manual and electronic review cycles for a planning application. Plan review is on by default.

    Enable Auto Assignment

    Select this option to enable the automatic assignment of plan reviewers for planning applications associated with this planning application type.

    When the assigned planner gives a planning application associated with this planning application type a status of Completed - Plan Review Required, the automatic assignment process:

    1. Adds a reviewer row to the plan review cycle for each plan reviewer department selected for the planning application type. If no plan reviewer departments are selected for the planning application type, the process creates the plan review cycle, but doesn’t add any reviewer rows.

    2. Adds the designated department lead to the Reviewer field for each reviewer row. If a department doesn’t have a department lead selected, the process still creates a row for the department, but leaves the Reviewer field blank.

    Cycle Time Rule

    Select the time rule ID for calculating and automatically populating the cycle due date when you add a plan review cycle to the permit. The time rule description appears next to the time rule ID that you selected.

    Time Rule Setup

    Click the link to open the Time Rule setup page.

    For more information about time rules, see Setting Up Time Rules.

  4. Enter time rules in the plan reviewer department grid to calculate and automatically populate the departmental due dates using the associated time rule. Enter values for the following fields:

    Page Element

    Description

    Plan Reviewer Department

    Displays the departments that can be added to plan reviews.

    Note:

    A plan reviewer department is available to configure only if the Permits classification is selected for it on the Plan Reviewer Department page. For more information, see Setting Up Plan Reviewer Departments.

    Required Department

    Turn on the required switch to indicate that this department must review the plans for this permit in each plan review cycle.

    The reviewers grids on the Plan Review page and Plan Reviews console page display the required departments that you select here. Plan coordinators assign reviewers from each of the required departments.

    Time Rule and Description

    Select the time rule for calculating and automatically populating the departmental due date when you add a plan review cycle to the permit. You can reuse time rules for multiple plan reviewer departments.

    The time rule description appears next to the time rule code that you selected. If you leave the time rule blank for a required plan reviewer department, the departmental due date won't be automatically calculated and populated in the Reviewers grid.

Cloning Planning Application Types

Click the Clone button to create a clone of the current planning application type, which you can then use to create a different planning application or to create a different version of the current planning application.

For more information on cloning permits and planning applications, see Cloning Transaction Type Definitions.

Designing Intake Forms

After you’ve entered the appropriate initial information for the planning and zoning type, you can then begin to design the intake form that end users will use to submit an online planning application. You create an intake form using the designer. You access the designer by clicking the Design Form button.

For more information on designing intake forms, see Using the Intake Form Designer.