Updating Tracking/Seeding Numbers (All Modules)

Updating Seeding & Tracking Numbers by Module

How to locate and update the seed number, prefix, and formatting for license, permit, and application tracking numbers across every SDL module.

This guide documents how to update seeding and tracking numbers for license/permit/application numbering across SDL modules. Each module is covered in its own section below. Additional modules will be appended as they are documented.

General Pattern

For every module, the path always starts the same way:

Tools > [Module] Options

From there, the specific tab and button vary by module — some use "Manage," some use "Edit," some just say "Tracking Number," and Construction uses a dropdown with an Edit button. The button/label names are called out individually in each module's section below.

Once the config panel for a specific number type is open, though, the fields inside it are consistent across modules:

Prefix — a custom text prefix for the number (e.g. PA)
Month — optionally include the current month as part of the template
Year — optionally include the current year as part of the template
Seed number — the starting number the sequence will count up from
Leading zeros — how many zero-padded digits precede the actual number. Reducing this shortens the padding (e.g. PA-26-0000 with 4 leading zeros becomes PA-26-00 with 2 leading zeros).

Each numbering type (application, permit, license, etc.) within a tab has its own independent button and is configured separately.

Clerk

Path: Tools > Clerk Options

Clerk has separate tabs for each licensing area. Each tab has its own set of "Manage ___ Numbers" buttons, configured using the general pattern above.

Parking tab

Manage Application Numbers
Manage Permit Numbers
Manage Lottery Numbers

Limo tab

Manage Permit Numbers
Manage Driver Application Numbers
Manage Driver License Numbers

Mercantile tab

Manage Application Numbers — for the Mercantile Application and Mercantile License data grids
Manage License Numbers — for the Mercantile Application and Mercantile License data grids
Manage General Application Numbers — for the General data grids
Manage General License Numbers — for the General data grids

Mercantile and General are separate number sequences even though they sit on the same tab. Mercantile applies to the Mercantile Application/License data grids; General applies to the General data grids.

Liquor tab

Manage Renewal Numbers
Manage Transfer Numbers

Games tab

Dropdown with: Bingo, Raffle, Other, Amendment, Certificate — select the type, then use the Manage Tracking Numbers button next to it. Each type in the dropdown is tracked separately.

Solicitors tab

Manage Solicitor Application Numbers
Manage Solicitor License Numbers
Manage Social Affair Numbers

Tow tab

Manage Permit Numbers
Manage Driver Application Numbers
Manage Driver License Numbers

Code Enforcement

Path: Tools > Code Enforcement Options

Violations tab

Edit Violation Tracking Number

Licenses and Certificates tab

Edit Certificate Tracking Number
Edit License Tracking Number

Construction

Path: Tools > Construction Options > Plan Review tab

All tracking numbers for Construction live in one place: the Plan Review tab has a Tracking Numbers section with a dropdown (defaults to Non-UCC Permit Numbers) and an Edit button next to it. Select the type from the dropdown, then click Edit to configure it using the general pattern above.

Available types in the dropdown:

Non-UCC Permit Numbers
Non-UCC Control Numbers
Violation Tracking Numbers
UCC Permit Numbers
UCC Control Numbers
Online Control Number

Engineering

Path: Tools > Engineering Options > Tracking Numbers tab

Engineering has its own dedicated Tracking Numbers tab. It defaults to showing Inspection. From here, each of the following can be changed individually using the general pattern above:

Inspection Tracking Number
Elevation Certificate
Grading/Clearing
Service Request
Pool Request
Attachment Group
Generic Review
Engineering Project
Road Openings
Grading and Clearing

Fire Prevention

Path: Tools > Fire Prevention Options > Tracking Numbers tab

Fire Prevention also has its own dedicated Tracking Numbers tab, with a section for editing each of the following:

Inspection Tracking Numbers
Non-LHU Tracking Numbers
Permit Tracking Numbers
Inspection Request Tracking Numbers
Variance Tracking Numbers
Investigation Tracking Numbers
Festival Tracking Numbers
Local Numbers
Invoice Numbers

HealthPro

Path: Tools > HealthPro Options

HealthPro's setup is more involved than other modules because some license types track numbers individually by class, while others use one tracking number for the whole type. There's also an option to collapse several license types down to a single shared tracking number.

Bathing Licenses tab

Tracking Number button — sets the tracking number for bathing licenses.

Well Permits tab

Manage Permit Tracking Number — click Manage to set the tracking number for well permits.

Septic Permits tab

Same setup as Well Permits: a Manage Permit Tracking Number area with a Manage button.

Food Licenses tab (per-class tracking)

Food Licenses are different: each food license class has its own individual tracking number, not one number for the whole license type.

Go to the Food Licenses tab.
Click Manage next to Manage Food License Classes and Fees.
This opens the list of food license classes. Select the class you want.
Inside that class, click Manage next to Manage Class Tracking Number to set the tracking number for that specific class.

Food Licenses tab (one number for all food licenses, no combining with other types)

If a town wants all food licenses tracked under a single number, but does not want to combine that with Bathing or General (see Overall Tracking Number below), there's a separate option scoped to Food only:

On the Food Licenses tab, find Manage Food License Tracking Number.
Click Manage to set the number.
Check the Use this tracking number box next to it. This overrides the per-class tracking numbers and makes all food license classes count up from this one number instead.

Food Invoice Tracking Number

Also on the Food Licenses tab: Manage Food Invoice Tracking Number — click Manage to set the tracking number used when invoices are created for food licenses.

Overall Tracking Number (combine into one shared number across license types)

Some towns prefer to combine tracking across license types instead of tracking separately by class. This is set up on the Manage Data tab:

Go to the Manage Data tab and find the Overall Tracking Number section.
Check the box for each license type you want folded into the shared number. Options are:
- Food Licenses
- General Licenses
- Bathing Licenses
Click Manage on the Manage Data tab and set the shared tracking number.

Checking boxes here combines those license types together under one single tracking number and ignores their individual class-level tracking. This isn't just an on/off toggle per type — if you check Food, Bathing, and General together, all three are tracked under that one same number as a combined sequence. You can check just one type (e.g. Food alone) to make all food classes share one number while Bathing and General stay on their own separate setups, or check multiple/all of them to merge those types together into a single shared count.

This is a different mechanism from the Food-only "Manage Food License Tracking Number" option above — that one keeps Food's shared number separate from Bathing/General, while checking Food here merges it in with whatever else is checked.

Land Use Pro

Path: Tools > Land Use Pro Options

Land Use has several tabs, each with its own "Identification Numbers" area covering multiple number types.

Zoning tab

Zoning Application Numbers
Zoning Permit Numbers
Zoning Violation Numbers
Tree Removal Numbers

Zoning Board tab

Zoning Board Application Numbers
Zoning Board Decision Numbers
Technical Review Numbers

Planning Board tab

Planning Board Application Numbers
Planning Board Decision Numbers
Technical Review Numbers

Historic tab

Historic Board Application Numbers
Historic Board Decision Numbers

Pet Licensing

Path: Tools > Pet Licensing Options > Pet Types tab

Pet Licensing does not follow the general prefix/month/year/seed/leading-zeros pattern. Instead, tracking numbers are set individually per animal type.

Go to the Pet Types tab.
Double-click the pet type (e.g. Cat, Dog) to open it.
Find the License Start Number field.
Set the starting number here.

Each pet type has its own independent License Start Number — changing Cat has no effect on Dog, etc. This is also the field used for the annual reset: at the start of a new year, come in and change the License Start Number back to 1 (or whatever the new starting point should be) for each pet type that needs to reset.

Police

Path: Tools > Police Options

Alarm License Number
Alarm Application Number
Alarm Invoice Number

Public Works

Path: Tools > Public Works Options > Tracking Numbers tab

Inspection
Service Request
Attachment Group
Generic Review
Public Works Project
Road Opening

Sewer Utility

Path: Tools > Sewer Utility Options > Form Information tab > Tracking Numbers area

Inspection Numbers
Service Request
Attachment Group

Water Utility

Path: Tools > Water Utility Options > Form Information tab > Tracking Numbers area

Same layout as Sewer Utility, plus one additional type:

Inspection
Service Request
Attachment Group
Flow Test Numbers