Public Notices for Municipal Solid Waste Applications

Types of public notices about MSW applications and who receives them. How to find pending applications and issued notices. How to determine if notices must be published in another language. Forms and instructions for applicants to document publication of notices.

On this page:

Types of MSW Applications and Public Notices
Notices in Alternative Languages
Notices for Landfill and Transfer or Processing Facility Permits
Notices for Processing Facility Registrations
Notices for Other Types of MSW Facilities
Information About Pending Applications
Contact MSW Permits Section

Types of MSW Applications and Public Notices

TCEQ requires that notice be provided to the public for various types of MSW applications. The type of notice required, who should receive them, and how it must be provided are summarized in the following table:

Type of Application	Type of Notice	How Notice is Provided	Who Receives Mailed Notice
Landfill facility permit Waste transfer or processing facility permit (including facilities that compost grease trap waste and mixed municipal solid waste)	First notice: Notice of Receipt of Application and Intent to Obtain Municipal Solid Waste Permit (NORI) Second notice: Notice of Application and Preliminary Decision for a Municipal Solid Waste Permit (NAPD)	Mailed by TCEQ and published by applicant	Landowners within ¼ mile (½ mile for compost permits), public officials, and persons who requested to be on a mailing list for the application, facility, or county
Waste transfer or processing facility that meets criteria for registration instead of permit Medical waste transfer or processing facility registration	Notice of Application and Opportunity to Request Public Meeting (NAORPM)	Mailed by TCEQ and published by applicant	Landowners within ¼ mile, public officials, and persons who requested to be on a mailing list for the application, facility, or county
Compost registration for facility that composts sewage sludge	First notice: Notice of Receipt of Application (NORA) Second notice: Notice of Technical Completeness (NOTC)	NORA mailed by TCEQ NOTC mailed by TCEQ and published by applicant	Adjacent landowners
Compost notification for facility that composts meat, fish, carcasses, dairy materials, oils, and greases	Notice of Intent to Operate a Compost Facility (NOIC)	Mailed by TCEQ	Adjacent landowners
Low-volume transfer station notification	Notice of low-volume transfer station	Mailed by applicant	Adjacent landowners
Permit for enclosed structure over a closed landfill	Notice of Opportunity to Request a Public Meeting (NORPM)	Mailed by TCEQ and published by applicant	Adjacent landowners
Modification to a permit or registration of a type that require notice	Notice of Application and Preliminary Decision for Municipal Solid Waste Permit [Registration] Modification (Mod NAPD)	Mailed by applicant	Landowners within ¼ mile, public officials, and persons who requested to be on a mailing list for the application, facility, or county
Modification to transfer or change names on a permit or registration	Notice of Issuance of Modification to Municipal Solid Waste Permit [Registration]	Mailed by applicant	Landowners within ¼ mile, public officials, and persons who requested to be on a mailing list for the application, facility, or county For enclosed structure permits, adjacent landowners only

Public Notices in Alternative Languages

Notices for MSW permit, permit amendment, and registration applications must be published in an alternative language, in addition to publication in English, if either the elementary or middle school nearest to the facility or proposed facility is required to provide a bilingual education program. [30 TAC 39.418(b) , 39.419(b) , and 39.426 ]

The Public Notice Verification forms listed on this page include instructions for determining if the alternative language requirement applies and for documenting compliance with the requirement.

Public Notices for Landfill and Transfer or Processing Facility Permit and Permit Amendment Applications

An application for a facility that requires a permit may be a partial application for a land-use only determination for a new facility, a complete application for a new facility or major amendment for an existing facility, or a partial application for a limited scope major amendment for an existing facility. [30 TAC 330.57(a) and 305.62(j) ]

Applications for permits and permit amendments are reviewed for administrative completeness, and then are reviewed for technical completeness. In addition, permit and permit amendment applications are subject to contested case hearing requests. Please visit our web page Municipal Solid Waste Permits: Learning More for more information.

Notice of Receipt of Application and Intent to Obtain Permit (NORI)

When administrative review of an application for a new MSW permit or permit amendment is complete, TCEQ will prepare and issue a notice indicating receipt of the application and intent to obtain a permit. TCEQ will mail the notice to landowners, public officials, and other persons, and will mail the notice to the applicant for publishing. [30 TAC 39.413 , 39.418 , and 39.501(c) ]

The applicant must submit the following documents indicating that the NORI was published:

Affidavits of Publication for NORI (affidavit forms provided to applicant with instructions for publication)
Public Notice Verification Form for NORI (form TCEQ-20244-Waste-NORI)
Instructions for Completing Public Notice Verification Form for NORI

Notice of Application and Preliminary Decision (NAPD)

When technical review of an application is complete and the application has met all requirements, TCEQ will prepare and issue a notice of application and preliminary decision. TCEQ will mail the notice to landowners, public officials, and other persons, and will mail the notice to the applicant for publishing. [30 TAC 39.413 , 39.419 , and 39.501(d) ]

The applicant must submit the following documents indicating that the NAPD was published:

Affidavits of Publication for NAPD (affidavit forms provided to applicant with instructions for publication)
Public Notice Verification Form for NAPD (form TCEQ-20244-Waste-NAPD)
Instructions for Completing Public Notice Verification Form for NAPD

Public Notices for Processing Facility Registration Applications

Applications for processing facility registrations, including those for medical waste processing facilities, are not subject to contested case hearings [30 TAC 330.57(b) ]. Applications for registrations are given a preliminary review for completeness and once complete a notice is issued. The application is then reviewed for technical completeness. Please visit our web page Municipal Solid Waste Registrations: Learning More for more information.

Notice of Application and Opportunity to Request a Public Meeting (NAORPM)

For registration applications, TCEQ will prepare a notice of application and opportunity to request a public meeting required by 30 TAC 330.69 , and direct the applicant to publish the notice following the requirements in 30 TAC 39.501(e) .

The applicant must submit the following documents indicating that the notice was published:

Affidavits of Publication for NAORPM (affidavit forms provided to applicant with instructions for publication)
Public Notice Verification Form for NAORPM (form TCEQ-20244-Waste-NAORPM)

Public Notices for Other Types of MSW Facilities

Information About Pending Applications

Contact Us

Contact the MSW Permits Section if you have questions about municipal solid waste public notices and public participation.