What do residents see when they submit a public application?
A public application is the online form a resident fills out to apply for a permit, register a business, report a concern, or make another request. Each public application connects to one GovPilot module, and every submission becomes a record in that module for your staff to process. This article walks through what residents experience from start to finish so you can answer their questions.
Finding the form
Residents start from your municipality's eForms page, which is linked from your website. The page shows your logo, colors, and name, and lists every published form. Residents can search by name or browse by department. They click the form they need to begin.
No account or login is required. Residents can submit at any time from a computer, tablet, or phone.
Filling out the form
- Required fields are highlighted in yellow. The form will not submit until they are filled in.
- Dropdown fields limit answers to standard choices.
- Some questions only appear based on an earlier answer.
- Where the form allows it, residents can upload documents such as photos or PDFs, and sign electronically.
- Some forms, such as Report a Concern or Street Opening Permits, include a map where the resident marks the exact location instead of typing an address. Staff can view and edit the marked location on the record.
- Some forms include a grid for listing occupants or tenants, or a lookup that pre-fills a renewal from an existing record.
[Screenshot needed: A public form with a required field highlighted in yellow]
Paying a fee
Depending on how the module is set up, residents either pay by credit card during submission or pay after your staff review the request. In the second case, the resident receives an email with the amount due once the record has been reviewed.
After submitting
The resident sees a confirmation page and receives an automated confirmation email with their reference number and the details they submitted. This email is sent by the module's workflow.
Residents cannot log in to GovPilot to check on their request. Some modules send automatic status update emails as the record moves forward, such as In Progress or Approved. This depends on how your workflows are configured. If a resident wants an update, your staff can open the record and send an email directly from it.
What happens on your side
The submitted data flows straight into the module. Any files the resident uploaded appear in the Attachments tab of the record. Staff receive a notification, and the module's workflows run, such as routing the request to the right department. Your staff do not need to re-enter anything. All work on the request happens in the record inside GovPilot.
✅ Pro Tip: Your eForms page link is unique to your municipality. Make sure it is easy to find on your website, because there is no central directory residents can search.
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