I didn't have to go to an office. I knew this was unnecessary so I kept calling different offices in the state until I finally found someone who was willing to help me. He was so helpful and e-mailed me the proper forms. I filled them out, mailed and had my permits in a little more than a week. This is typical of government services. There are those that want to make ones life difficult and there are those that are helpful. Just takes persistence to find the later. Joe, Oceanside On Feb 22, 2013, at 5:33 PM, Michael Mace <michaelcmace@gmail.com> wrote: > Jane wrote: > >>> Also, after going through the initial series of steps you can do online, > you have to physically go to a USDA extension office near your home > (fortunately there are plenty of them near mine) and identify the staff > member who is authorized to verify your identity by looking at your photo > ID, and then that person will input the verification into their system > > If you use the option of ordering the permits by mail, you don't have to go > identify yourself to a USDA office. You just send in the form and they mail > you the permits. It's not a huge hassle. > > For some reason I don't understand, the website encourages you to use online > registration for the permit, even though it's a lot more complicated for > everyone involved. > > Mike > San Jose, CA > > > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/