DEQ reports steady review pace; subdivision workload up and online filing target set for July 2026
May 12, 2026 | 2026 Legislature MT, Montana
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The Department of Environmental Quality’s subdivision and sanitation engineering bureau reported to the council that a prior backlog has been largely cleared and that the section is maintaining high on‑time review performance while handling substantial new development workloads.
Division administrator Lindsay Kravaruchka said the engineering bureau’s efforts have reduced a months‑long backlog and that the team now averages roughly 99% on‑time reviews after an intensive multi‑year effort. She presented work metrics showing that, in the partial fiscal‑year data displayed to the council, DEQ reviewed files associated with about 3,240 new parcels and roughly 5,933 new residential living units for the most recent reporting period shown.
Kravaruchka and bureau chief Rachel Clark flagged challenges: litigation of department decisions is increasing and requires staff time for depositions and expert preparation, which reduces review capacity; private engineering firms and consultants are also at high capacity, complicating project schedules; and some projects require repeated requests for additional information, which slows approvals and sometimes triggers extensions. Kravaruchka said staff try to engage engineers directly when a file receives multiple rounds of comments and that DEQ will publish more granular statistics on requests for more information if the council wants them.
DEQ also reported progress on implementing several 2025 legislative changes and said it expects to publish rule packages triggered by those bills before the October 2026 rule blackout. The division is building a full online submittal and tracking system and expects the rollout to be complete by July 2026. The system will expose timelines, circulate requests for additional information and make status transparent to applicants and reviewers.
Council members asked about extension rates, returned fees and how requests for more information differ from formal extensions; Kravaruchka agreed to provide additional statistics on extensions and information‑requests per application.
No formal actions were taken; the bureau will provide additional metrics and continue rule and online‑system implementation work.
Division administrator Lindsay Kravaruchka said the engineering bureau’s efforts have reduced a months‑long backlog and that the team now averages roughly 99% on‑time reviews after an intensive multi‑year effort. She presented work metrics showing that, in the partial fiscal‑year data displayed to the council, DEQ reviewed files associated with about 3,240 new parcels and roughly 5,933 new residential living units for the most recent reporting period shown.
Kravaruchka and bureau chief Rachel Clark flagged challenges: litigation of department decisions is increasing and requires staff time for depositions and expert preparation, which reduces review capacity; private engineering firms and consultants are also at high capacity, complicating project schedules; and some projects require repeated requests for additional information, which slows approvals and sometimes triggers extensions. Kravaruchka said staff try to engage engineers directly when a file receives multiple rounds of comments and that DEQ will publish more granular statistics on requests for more information if the council wants them.
DEQ also reported progress on implementing several 2025 legislative changes and said it expects to publish rule packages triggered by those bills before the October 2026 rule blackout. The division is building a full online submittal and tracking system and expects the rollout to be complete by July 2026. The system will expose timelines, circulate requests for additional information and make status transparent to applicants and reviewers.
Council members asked about extension rates, returned fees and how requests for more information differ from formal extensions; Kravaruchka agreed to provide additional statistics on extensions and information‑requests per application.
No formal actions were taken; the bureau will provide additional metrics and continue rule and online‑system implementation work.
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