Pacific Southwest Recovery Permitting

Now That I Have a Recovery Permit, What Do I Need to Do?

Once an applicant has been issued a signed recovery permit, that individual or business (organization) is now authorized to carry out the activities they are authorized to conduct. A copy of the permit must accompany anyone conducting activities under the permit.  

The recovery permit is comprised of terms and conditions that must be completely followed as written in the permit. Some of these are standardized terms that require coordination with one or more USFWS field offices (see Survey Notifications and Reporting below). The permit will include specialized terms and conditions specific to the species and activities authorized. The permit will include a list of authorized individuals who can perform the activities covered in the permit (more information below).

The issued recovery permit will have a cover page where the expiration date of the permit is listed. It is the permittee’s responsibility to apply for a renewal prior to the expiration date. If a renewal application is received at least 30 days before the expiration date, the permittee can continue to perform permitted activities after the expiration date and until a renewed permit is issued, per 50 CFR Part 13. If a renewal application is received less than 30 days before the expiration date, the permit will expire, and activities will not be able to continue until a new permit is issued. If the applicant needs to amend a permit (to add a new species or activity), they can do so by applying in ePermits, but the expiration date of the permit will not change.

Survey Notifications

Most recovery permits have a term requiring a 15-day notification to conduct authorized activities (e.g., for each field season or isolated survey). The conditions of the notification report will specify the details that must be sent to the applicable Field Office Recovery Permit Coordinator(s). The conditions for the required information can be found in the recovery permit and on our website here.

The purpose of the notification is to give the recovery permit coordinator time to ensure the permittee is conducting activities authorized under the permit and to verify there are no extenuating circumstances that would warrant denying the permittee from carrying out the activity. Additionally, the notification allows USFWS to ensure some locations are not being overly surveyed.  

Reporting 

All recovery permits have reporting requirements; however, the types of reporting can vary based on the activities and species covered in the permit. The different types of reports associated with recovery permits includes a 45- or 90-day survey report, an annual summary report, and a comprehensive project report. Your recovery permit will identify which reports must be submitted to comply with the reporting requirements.

The 45- or 90-day survey report consolidates relevant data obtained from surveys for authorized species and is submitted to the Field Office Recovery Permit Coordinator from the Field Office in the jurisdiction that activities are being conducted and the office that signed issued your permit. Most survey reports must be submitted within 45 days following completion of activities, except for activities with vernal pool brachiopods. Details for the required information that must be submitted with this report can be found in the recovery permit.  

The Annual Summary Report is a requirement for all recovery permits. The purpose of this annual report is for the USFWS to track, document, and assess the activities conducted under recovery permits. Submitting this report is carried out by completing FWS Form 3-2530 and uploading it to the reporting tab in the permittees ePermits account. If no activities occurred, the permittee will be able to acknowledge this in ePermits under the reporting feature. Annual summary reports are due by January 31st for all permittees regardless of whether the permitted activities were completed or are ongoing.

The Comprehensive Project Report is an annual requirement for permits involving any specialized activities that don’t include, or are in addition to, presence/absence surveys. A Comprehensive Project Report is required for each project-specific activity and is submitted to the appropriate Field Office Recovery Permit Coordinator (not ePermits). Conditions detailing the required information for a complete report can be found in the recovery permit. 

List of Authorized Individuals

The List of Authorized Individuals (LAI) is the list of personnel that are authorized to conduct the activities outlined in the permit for which they are qualified. LAIs are part of every recovery permit, and they are particularly important for permits held by organizations and businesses. This list should be updated any time there is someone to add or remove from the LAI. This list may be amended at any time by corresponding directly with the Field Office that issued the permit or when requesting a renewal or amendment. 

If updating the LAI is the only action you need with no changes to the permit authorizations itself (species, activities, locations, etc.), you can request those LAI changes via email directly to the Field Office that issued the permit. 

Principal Officer Change

The Principal Officer is the individual responsible for all activities performed under a recovery permit. This will typically be the individual who is the head of a business (organization) who would be the signatory for the permit application. If this individual has left the business or you just need to change who the Principal Officer is, please contact the Regional Office email, permitsr8es@fws.gov.