Permit Management
Everything you need to track, manage, and renew permits and licenses for your locations and company — from the initial application through to compliance verification.
Sitehub tracks the full lifecycle of each permit or license — from the initial application through to renewal. Understanding how this lifecycle works helps you keep your locations compliant and respond early when action is needed.
The three stages of a permit period
Each time you create a permit period in Sitehub, it moves through up to three stages before reaching compliance:
- 1Application — Submit the application to the issuing authority and record the submission details in Sitehub.
- 2Payment — Log any fees associated with the permit. For gross receipts permits, the invoice amount may not be known until after submission.
- 3Verification — Confirm that the physical permit or license has been received at the location and is posted. This is the final step before the permit becomes Compliant.
Location-level vs. company-level permits
Permits in Sitehub can be associated with a specific site (for permits tied to a physical location, such as a health inspection or signage permit) or with your company overall (for permits that apply across the business, such as a general contractor license). You select this when creating the permit.
Permit statuses explained
Sitehub automatically updates a permit's status based on the steps completed. You can also override the status manually at any time.
You can add a permit to Sitehub two ways: Quick Add for fast draft entry, or the full Create flow when you have all the details on hand. Both options are available from the Permit Management section under Workspace in the left-hand navigation.
Getting to Permit Management
- From the sidebar: Go to Workspace → Permit Management.
- From the dashboard: Click the arrow (↗) on the Permit Statuses widget.
Quick Add vs. Create
| Option | Best used when | What it captures |
|---|---|---|
| Quick Add | You need to enter several permits rapidly and will fill in the details later | Permit name, site or company association, permit category |
| Create | You have all permit details available and want to fully configure it now | All fields across four steps — see below |
The full Create flow
- 1Basic Information — Enter the permit name, permit ID (up to 20 characters), category, subcategory, issuing authority (Provider), and original issue date. Select whether the permit belongs to a Site or Company.
- 2Renewal Requirements — Set whether renewal is required, how frequently (annually, every 6 months, quarterly, etc.), and the renewal lead time. Toggle Grace Period on if the issuing jurisdiction allows a short window after expiry.
- 3Contacts — Associate existing contacts with this permit (for example, the permit agent, inspector, or issuing authority contact).
- 4Additional Documents — Upload any supporting files such as the original certificate or correspondence. This step is optional and can be completed later.
After clicking Finish, Sitehub saves the permit and takes you to the permit detail view where you will create the first permit period.
Once a permit is created, you need to add a permit period to make it active and start tracking compliance. A permit period captures the application, payment, and expiration details for a specific renewal cycle.
Creating a permit period
From the permit detail view, click Create permit period in the Application & Renewals section. The permit period form has four tabs — Application, Payments, Tasks, and Verifications.
Application tab
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Application Status | The current state of the application: Not Submitted, In Review, or Submission Complete. |
| Confirmation Number | The reference number provided by the issuing authority (up to 50 characters). |
| Due Date | The date by which the application or renewal must be submitted. |
| Submitted Date | The date the application was actually filed. |
| Expiration Date | The date this permit period expires. Setting this date moves the permit toward compliance tracking. |
| Additional Note | Free-form notes for this specific renewal cycle (up to 500 characters). |
Payments tab
Use the Payments tab to log fees associated with this permit period. For permits with gross receipts requirements, you may not know the exact amount until after the application is submitted — you can return to add payment details once the invoice is received.
| Payment Status | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Not Started | No payment action has been taken yet. |
| Payment Requested | An invoice has been issued or a payment request has been sent. |
| Payment Sent | Payment has been submitted but not yet confirmed by the authority. |
| Payment Confirmed | Payment has been received and confirmed. All payments must reach this status before the permit can advance to Compliant. |
Verification is the final step in the permit compliance process. It confirms that the physical permit or license certificate has been received at the site and is posted as required. Once verification is complete, the permit becomes Compliant.
What verification means in Sitehub
Verification is not just a system checkbox — it represents a real-world action: the permit has arrived at the location and is displayed where required by the issuing authority. This is especially important for health, fire, liquor, and occupancy permits that must be posted on-site.
Logging a verification
From the permit period, open the Verifications tab and update the verification status:
| Verification Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Not Verified | Default when a period is created. Permit or license not yet confirmed at the site. |
| Verified - Compliant | Permit received and posted at the site. If all other steps are complete, the permit becomes Compliant. |
| Verified - Non-Compliant | Verification was completed but a compliance issue was identified. The permit will not advance to Compliant until this is resolved. |
| Not Applicable | Verification is not required for this permit type. |
Sitehub is designed to alert you before a permit needs attention — not after. Renewal windows and lead times control when those alerts are triggered, giving you enough time to complete all three steps (application, payment, verification) before a permit lapses.
Renewal Frequency
Set when creating the permit. Options include annually, every 6 months, every 2 years, and quarterly. Sitehub uses this to calculate when the next renewal cycle begins.
Renewal Lead Time
The number of days before the renewal due date that Sitehub starts notifying you. Set this based on how long your renewal process typically takes — for complex permits with gross receipts calculations, a longer lead time (60 days) gives more buffer. For straightforward renewals, 30 days is often sufficient.
At Risk window
When a permit's renewal due date is approaching and the renewal has not been submitted, Sitehub automatically moves the permit status from Compliant to At Risk. This is your signal to act. You have until the expiration date to complete the renewal process.
Grace Period
If the issuing authority allows a short compliance window after expiration, enable Grace Period on the permit. While a permit is within its grace period and has a renewal submitted, Sitehub will show it as At Risk rather than Non-Compliant — acknowledging that action is underway.
When a permit's active period expires, Sitehub updates the permit status and triggers compliance notifications. Here is what happens and how to resolve it.
Automatic status changes on expiry
| Situation at expiry | System updates status to |
|---|---|
| Renewal submitted, within grace period, verification not yet complete | At Risk |
| No renewal submitted, no grace period or grace period exceeded | Non-Compliant |
| Renewal submitted, all payments confirmed, all verifications complete | Compliant |
What Non-Compliant means
A Non-Compliant permit means the location is operating without a valid permit for that category. Sitehub will flag this on the location record, the dashboard, and in compliance notifications. You should resolve this as quickly as possible.
How to resolve an expired or non-compliant permit
- 1Navigate to the permit in Permit Management.
- 2Click Create permit period to start the renewal cycle for the new period.
- 3Complete the Application, Payment, and Verification steps.
- 4Once all three steps are done, the permit status will automatically update to Compliant.
Reporting on expired permits
Use the Reports section to view permits that are Non-Compliant or At Risk across all your locations. You can filter by status, category, and due date to prioritise which permits need attention first.