(a) Preapplication meeting. To request the preapplication meeting required by § 29.14 for a new right-of-way or a modification of an existing right-of-way, contact the appropriate Service Regional Office, the geographic jurisdictions of which are listed at 50 CFR 2.2. Contact information for the Service Regional Offices is available at https://www.regulations.gov in Docket No. FWS-HQ-NWRS-2019-0017.

(b) Application submission. Applicants must submit an application that includes the completed form and required attachments as described in § 29.16. The Service will deem a right-of-way application to be complete, and notify the applicant of such, after the Service has determined that the provided information is sufficient for the agency to make a compatibility determination and comply with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). The Service will also notify the applicant if additional information is required for a complete application.

(c) Payment for cost recovery. After the Service has determined that an application is complete, the agency will notify the applicant and provide an updated estimate of application processing costs, as set forth at § 29.18(a). The Service will review and process a right-of-way permit application after it has requested and received payment for these costs.

(d) Providing additional information for permit. If the Service determines that the requested right-of-way is a compatible use, then the agency will request additional information from the applicant necessary to draft a right-of-way permit document for applicant review. This includes but is not limited to the survey plat or Global Positioning System (GPS) location information described in § 29.17. The applicant must provide this information in order for the Service to develop the permit.

(e) No guarantee of right-of-way permit. Submitting a complete application and payment for application processing costs do not guarantee that the Service will issue or renew a right-of-way permit. Issuance or renewal of a right-of-way permit is contingent on a Service determination that the right-of-way is a compatible use. Permit issuance or renewal is also contingent on the applicant:

(1) Providing the information the Service requires to develop the right-of-way permit;

(2) Agreeing to the permit's terms and conditions; and

(3) Providing payment for use and occupancy of the land as well as for future right-of-way monitoring costs.