How does a resident pay for a permit through the SDL Portal?

The process has four main stages:

1. Town Staff Sends a "Payment Required" Email

A staff member triggers a payment request from the back-office system. The portal generates a secure checkout link tied to the permit submission and emails the resident, including the town name, form/permit name, tracking ID, and an "Open submission" link — this takes the resident to their permit page on the portal, not directly to the payment site.

2. Resident Lands on Their Permit Page

The page shows a yellow "Payment Required" banner with a "Proceed to Payment" button, and a note that clicking it will redirect to a secure third-party site.

3. Resident Clicks "Proceed to Payment" → Third-Party Checkout

This redirects the resident off the portal to a secure third-party processor. Supported providers depend on what the municipality has configured — MuniciPAY (most common), PayGov, Stripe, or MSB. The checkout is pre-loaded with the fee amount, a transaction ID, and a return URL back to the resident's submission page.

4. Payment Is Processed and the Resident Is Redirected Back

After completing payment, the provider redirects the resident back to the portal with the transaction result. The portal records the transaction, marks the submission as payment complete, generates a PDF summary, and sends a confirmation email.