The Division of Land Resource Protection currently processes approximately 600 permit modifications and extensions annually, with applicants relying on paper submissions and a temporary email workaround to submit these requests. While NJDEP's eSubmission initiative successfully mandated online applications for General Permits, Individual Permits, and Verifications beginning in October 2021, modifications and extensions were not included in that rollout.

This gap creates inefficiencies in processing, increases storage demands, and leaves a segment of the regulated community without access to the same streamlined online services available for other permit types. Expanding the DEP Online portal to accommodate modifications and extensions will eliminate reliance on paper and email submissions, align with the Division's IT modernization goals, and support the administration's Operation FAST initiative.

Land Resource Protection handles around 600 permit modifications and extensions each year, but applicants are still submitting these requests by paper or email which is a gap left over from the 2021 eSubmission rollout. Since the regulated community is already using DEP Online for other permit types, expanding the portal to cover modifications and extensions is a logical next step that eliminates an outdated workaround. Doing so will reduce administrative burden, improve the applicant experience, and support the administration's Operation FAST initiative to modernize state government services.