Completing a License Application

Single-Page View and Multiple-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.

This example illustrates the multipage view. Select the Single-Page View option in the drop-down list of steps to switch to the single-page view.

Example of a business license application intake form displayed in the multipage 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.

Data Entry Pages

An anonymous public user who starts an application must sign in before the application pages appear. Users who have not previously registered must register before accessing, filling out, and submitting an application.

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. For more information, see Intake Form Designer Topics. See Using Predefined Field Groups for more information about the sections that might be used in an application form.

Data entry sections are generally self-explanatory, but the following information includes notes about certain common sections.

Note:

When conditions are applied by agency staff to a parcel, address, person, contractor license, or business license with the Prevent Application Progress option enabled, then the application may prevent you from submitting any new application that contains the object. Click the condition icon that is displayed next to the Application record ID field to see the list of conditions. Only agency staff can drill down to the Conditions details page for each condition by clicking the Source Reference link. They must resolve conditions before applicants can proceed with submittal.

Grids

Some intake forms contain one or more grids, which are page controls that enable you to collect and display data in a tabular fashion, using rows and columns.

This example illustrates a grid for owner or corporate officers, who are contacts on a business license application.

Example grid on a business license application intake form

To add data to a grid:

Click Add (the plus sign).

A pop-up dialog box appears where you can enter your data.
Select or enter all the required data for the grid.

A grid can contain many fields (columns) to capture data of different types, such as dates, numbers, text, drop-down lists, check boxes, and so on. The number and types of fields depends upon the intake form designed by the agency.

Note:
Some fields are configured to be read-only and can't be edited.
If available, select Add another row to continue to enter data when adding multiple rows.
Click OK, after you've added all the required information.
Click Save.

Note:

Each new row added to a grid is assigned a sequential row number automatically.

Note:

For grids with many rows, you can use the filtering option. Select a column to sort by from the Filter By drop-down list, and add a column value, if needed in the filtering value field.

Applicant

All applications include this section, which is used to identify the applicant. The applicant is also automatically added to the Contacts section.

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.

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 can provide the date the application was received while entering data into the system. The received date field isn’t available for applicants applying online.

The received date determines the effective dated fee schedule that will be used when calculating fees for the application.

To define the start and end dates of a fee schedule, see Setting Up Fee Schedules.

Applying for Future-Dated Business Commencement

Depending on the agency setup, applicants can submit their origination, renewal, or amendment license applications with a proposed effective date that is in the future.

When processing the application the assigned specialist can approve it or enter a new approval date, which is the license issue date. This date will override the applicant’s proposed date. The Approved Effective Date field must be made available only to agency staff and the same date is used for expiration date calculations. The license status will automatically change to Active on the approved effective date.

The following table illustrates the approved effective date that the system uses based on the dates entered by the applicant and the agency staff:

Business Start Date - applicant	Approved Effective Date - staff	Approved Effective Date – applied by the system
Applicant enters future date	Specialist enters new date	Specialist entered date
Applicant enters future date	Specialist leaves the field blank	Applicant entered date
Applicant leaves the field blank	Specialist enters new date	Specialist entered date
Applicant leaves the field blank	Specialist leaves the field blank	Application processing date

See Viewing Business Application Information.

Industry Classification

The Industry Classification section enables applicants to select industry standard classifications for a business when applying for a license.

Search and select one or more NAICS codes that match the various business activities for the selected location. The fee component is updated accordingly in the Fee Summary section.

Agency staff can also edit the NAICS codes on the Application Details page in the business license details. For more details, see Viewing the Business License and Working with Fees and Payments.

Attachments

The Attachments section provides a grid where you can upload files, such as documents or images.

Depending on the agency setup for business license applications, the Attachments page may display the types of documents that are required for an application type and the stage in the application process at which they are required. Click Upload to attach the specified document in the Required Documents list. The applicant selects the document properties such as category and subcategory during upload and the file appears in the Attachments grid in the application. After you submit the application, the files that you added appear in a list on the Attachments page in the application's detail pages.

You can see which documents are required on the application intake form. 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. Only documents required at the Submittal step are required before you can submit the application. Save the application then click Upload to add attachments.

Public users can't delete attachments that satisfy document requirements defined by the agency once they have been uploaded for previous application steps, but agency staff with permissions can manage the attachments. Once the application form has been saved, agency staff with permissions can also manage the document requirements for the application, such as adding or deleting which documents are required. For more information, see Setting Up Required Documents and Working with Attachments.

Depending on agency setup for business licenses, the business license applicant or agency staff with permissions can mark an individual document as confidential when adding an attachment during application intake. After application submittal, only agency staff with permissions can add and manage confidential attachments on business license transactions and the business record. Confidential documents have limited visibility: Only agency staff with permissions, the applicant, and the application contacts with full or print, pay, and view access can see the confidential document in the list of attachments for the business license transaction or business record.

Also depending on agency setup, you may be prevented from uploading protected PDF files.

For information about managing application attachments, see Working with Attachments.

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. Instead, users are prompted to accept the terms when they first sign in.

For more information, see Managing Public User Accounts and Setting Up Terms of Use.

Contacts

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.

The list of contacts for the application displays the contact type, description, and level of application access.

The contact types and levels of access that a contact can have are different for business license applications and permit and planning applications. For more details about contact types and the levels of access that a contact can have to a business license application, see Setting Up Contact Types.

Here's general information about contacts:

Select an existing contact from a list, or enter information for a new contact on the Contact Details page.
The applicant is automatically added as the primary contact in the Contacts section, but you can add or select a different primary contact. You can change the contact type, but you can't remove the applicant contact. You can also change the primary contact in the application details after submission if you are the applicant, primary contact, or business owner for business license application.
The page where you enter or edit contact details includes explanatory text to ensure that you are aware of the type of access the selected contact type confers. Applicants and agency staff can elect to provide more access to the contact.
All application contacts must have a contact type that describes the role of the person relative to the specific application. Different contact types have different levels of application access, as set up by your agency. When you add a contact to an application, you select a contact type, but you can upgrade the level of application access.
When you add a new contact, select the Add this contact to the applicant's account check box to replicate them to the applicant’s list of profile contacts. Applicants and system administrators only have the option to update contact information and save updates on the user's profile.
If configured by your agency, the system sends an email notification to contacts on the intake form upon application submission as well as to new contacts when they are added to the application after submission.
The applicant can never be made inactive on an application whereas other contacts can.
Contact information for the contractor entered in the Contractor section in the application appears in both the Contractor and Contacts sections.

Furthermore, license contacts have different levels of application access than do permit or planning application contacts:

Agency staff members or applicants can add and update a contact type to primary contact. They can also provide the following access to a contact: Full, None, or View, pay, and print. If the contact type is configured to allow full access, and the contact email matches the account email for a registered user, then that registered user can access the application after it's been submitted. Contacts with full access can also view the associated business entity and license records. If a contact type is allowed View, Pay, Print access, then they can only view the business license application, pay fees, and print the license certificate. The View, Pay, Print option is available only for business license application contacts.

If there are multiple Doing Business As at the same location, an applicant can use the Add DBA button on the Select Location dialog box to enter DBA-related information and default all the other location information from the existing record.
Any owners or corporate officers added to a business license application are automatically added as contacts in the Contacts section. Business owners can't be made inactive contacts in the Contacts section.
Agency staff or applicants can choose to hide the business information from public view. Turn on the Hide business from public view switch in the Business Details section of the application. This ensures that the business-related information won't be displayed in the global search results as well as on the maps.

Review

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

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. Click the Submit button after paying any applicable fees.

Your agency can configure a Business Rules Framework event to automatically stop the submission process and display a message describing the reason for stopping the process.

Agencies configure stop process actions in the Business Rules Framework. You use the following events to configure the business rule for business license, permit, and planning applications:

Before Business License Application Submitted
Before Permit Application Submitted
Before Planning and Zoning Application Submitted

Additionally, your agency can configure a Business Rules Framework event to automatically perform actions when the application is successfully submitted. You use the following events to configure the business rule for business license, permit, and planning applications:

After Business License Application Submitted
After Permit Application Submitted
After Planning and Zoning Application Submitted

For details, see Setting Up Stop Process Actions and Setting Up Business Rules.