The TCEQ air permit process.
Every air permit follows the same backbone: you apply, TCEQ reviews, the public weighs in, and a decision is made. This chapter walks the full path a case-by-case permit takes — and shows which stages the lighter authorizations skip.
An application is filed, then goes through administrative review (a completeness check) and technical review (the substantive one). Permits that require it also run a public-notice and comment track — the NORI, then the NAPD with a draft permit — which can lead to a public meeting or a contested case hearing before the permit is finally issued. How many of these stages apply depends entirely on the authorization type.
A case-by-case permit, stage by stage.
This is the complete route for a New Source Review permit that requires public notice. Color tells you who's driving each stage.
Application filed
ApplicantThe applicant submits the permit application — increasingly through TCEQ's online systems. Applicants who need speed can request expedited processing for an added fee.
Administrative review
TCEQTCEQ checks that the application contains everything required. When it passes, the application is declared administratively complete — the milestone that starts public notice for permits that need it.
→ Milestone: administratively completeFirst notice — NORI
Public noticeThe Notice of Receipt of Application and Intent to Obtain Permit. The applicant publishes it in a newspaper within 30 days and, for air permits, posts signs around the property. It opens the first comment period and the chance to request a public meeting or contested case hearing.
Technical review
TCEQTechnical staff evaluate the application against all state and federal requirements — emission calculations, control technology such as BACT or LAER, and off-property health impacts. If it satisfies the rules, they prepare a preliminary decision and a draft permit.
→ Milestone: technically complete + draft permitSecond notice — NAPD
Public noticeThe Notice of Application and Preliminary Decision, published and mailed with the draft permit's proposed terms. It opens a comment period ending at least 30 days after the last publication and offers another chance to comment or request a meeting or hearing. Some applications, like concrete batch plants, use a single consolidated notice instead.
Comment & response
Public · TCEQThe executive director considers every timely comment, decides whether any require changes to the draft permit, and issues a written response to comments to everyone on the mailing list — which sets the final window to request a contested case hearing.
Public meeting or contested case hearing
Only if triggeredA public meeting(informal, no decision made) may be held if there's significant interest or a legislator requests it. A contested case hearing is a formal, trial-like proceeding at the State Office of Administrative Hearings, where a judge hears evidence on disputed air-quality facts and recommends a decision to the commissioners.
Final action
TCEQIf there's no hearing and the application meets every requirement, the executive director issues the permit. After a hearing, the commissioners decide whether to issue or deny. A decision letter goes out and the permit becomes effective— the status you'll see on the record.
→ Milestone: permit effectiveNew in 2026: following statutory changes, TCEQ now posts administratively and technically complete applications on its website, and air-permit notice signs must stay posted and legible throughout the entire comment period.
Not every permit takes every step.
The timeline above is the long route. The authorization type decides how much of it you actually run — and roughly how long it takes.
PBR & standard permit
~45 days (target)
Apply, review, issue. Most skip public notice entirely — no NORI, no NAPD, no hearing. The fastest way through.
Case-by-case NSR
~285 days (target)
The complete path above, including both public notices and the possibility of a public meeting or contested case hearing.
PSD, nonattainment & Title V
~365 days (target)
Everything in the full route, plus additional federal review — and, for major projects, EPA oversight.
These are TCEQ's target review goals measured from a complete application, not guarantees — public notice, hearings, and complex projects extend them. The full set of time frames by authorization type is in the Permitting 101 overview.
Where "pending" fits in.
The status you see on a TCEQ record maps directly onto this process.
The application is somewhere in stages 2–7 — under review, out for public comment, or awaiting a hearing or final action. Not yet authorized.
Final action is done (stage 8). The permit is issued and in force — the source is authorized under its terms.
Want to watch an application move through these stages? Track a pending application or look up any permit's current status and get an alert within a day when it changes.
How the public participates.
The two public notices — NORI and NAPD — each open a comment period, generally running at least 30 days from the last publication date. During that window, anyone can submit written comments, ask to join the mailing list for the application, request a public meeting, or request a contested case hearing.
A public meeting and a contested case hearingare different things. A meeting is informal — a chance to ask questions and put comments on the record, with no decision made. A hearing is a formal legal proceeding before an administrative law judge, limited to disputed factual air-quality issues raised during the comment period; the judge's recommendation then goes to the commissioners. If a permit is issued, a party can still file a motion to overturn to seek further review.
Once you understand this cadence, the renewal clock is the next thing to track — because permits don't last forever. That's the next chapter, Renewals & deadlines.
The process, answered.
What are the steps in the TCEQ air permit process?+−
A case-by-case permit moves through: application, administrative review (a completeness check ending in "administratively complete"), the first public notice (NORI), technical review ending in a draft permit, the second public notice (NAPD), a comment period and written response to comments, an optional public meeting or contested case hearing, and final action to issue or deny. Lighter authorizations like permits by rule skip the public-notice steps.
How long does the TCEQ air permit process take?+−
It depends on the authorization. TCEQ targets roughly 45 days for a permit by rule or a standard permit without public notice, about 285 days for a new case-by-case NSR permit, and about 365 days for a federal PSD, nonattainment, or Title V permit. These are target goals — public notice, hearings, and complex projects can extend them.
What's the difference between administrative and technical review?+−
Administrative review is a completeness check — TCEQ confirms the application has all required information, after which it's declared administratively complete. Technical review is the substantive evaluation against state and federal requirements, including emission calculations, control technology, and off-property impacts, and it ends with a preliminary decision and a draft permit.
What are NORI and NAPD?+−
The two public notices. The NORI — Notice of Receipt of Application and Intent to Obtain Permit — is issued once an application is administratively complete and starts the first comment period. The NAPD — Notice of Application and Preliminary Decision — is issued after technical review with the draft permit, and opens a second comment period. Some applications use a single consolidated notice.
What is a contested case hearing at TCEQ?+−
A formal, trial-like proceeding at the State Office of Administrative Hearings. An administrative law judge hears evidence on disputed factual air-quality issues and makes a recommendation to the TCEQ commissioners, who make the final decision. Not every permit involves a hearing — one only occurs if a qualifying request is granted.
Follow a permit through every stage.
From application to issuance, PermitPulse tracks where a permit sits in the process and alerts you within a day when it moves — a new notice, a comment deadline, or final action.
This chapter summarizes publicly available TCEQ guidance for general informational purposes only — it is not legal, engineering, or professional advice. Process steps, notice names, and time frames are drawn from TCEQ's public-participation guidance, 30 TAC Chapters 39, 55, and 116, and the Air Permitting Fact Sheet (RG-616), and may change; always confirm against the current TCEQ rules and notices before acting.