The first step is to determine whether the proposed clearing requires a clearing permit under the Environmental Protection Act or is "prescribed clearing" under these regulations. The person should check regulation 5(1) Table and the three schedules to see if the clearing fits one of the 26 items. For clearing that is not prescribed, a permit application must be made to the CEO under section 51E of the Act, accompanied by the fee prescribed in regulation 7. The fee depends on whether the permit sought is an area permit (fees range from $400 to $10,000 depending on area and location in the intensive land-use zone) or a purpose permit (base $2,000 plus variable fee from $400 to $10,000). The applicant should ensure the application area is accurately calculated and that the correct column (A or B) is used. For prescribed clearing, the person must satisfy all conditions in the relevant item. This generally means: (a) the clearing is done by or with the prior authority of the person listed in the item (usually the landowner or occupier); (b) the clearing is carried out so as to limit damage to neighbouring native vegetation (regulation 5(1)(c)); and (c) any specific limits on area (e.g. 5 ha per financial year for limited clearing), location (e.g. not riparian vegetation, not in road reserves for item 12), timing (e.g. fire hazard reduction outside restricted burning times), and purpose (e.g. for domestic heating, non-commercial woodwork, cultural purposes) are met. For items that refer to "limited clearing", the person must keep running tally of all limited clearing on the property in the financial year to ensure the aggregate does not exceed 5 ha. For items 5, 6, and 7 (firewood, fencing materials, woodwork), the person must ensure that no live vegetation is killed and regrowth is not prevented, and that the material cannot be obtained from vegetation already cleared for another purpose. For items 10 and 12 (fence line and tracks), the clearing width must be no wider than necessary. For item 12, there must be at least 100 m between the new track and any other cleared land usable for the same purpose. For item 19 (isolated trees), the tree must be more than 50 m from any other native vegetation. For mining and petroleum activities (items 20, 24, 25), the person must ensure the activity falls within Schedule 1's definition of low-impact (e.g. no ground disturbance, raised-blade tracks, scrape and detect under 2 ha) and is not in a non-permitted area listed in Schedule 1 clause 4. For activities that are not low-impact but are within 10 ha per financial year under clause 2(2) of Schedule 1, the person must ensure the authority area does not include any part of a non-permitted area. For infrastructure maintenance (Schedule 3), the activity must have been completed within the time limits (now expired for items 23, but modern equivalents would require a permit unless covered by a newer exemption). For transport corridor maintenance (Schedule 2), the person must ensure the clearing is within the specified areas (crossover, lateral clearance, infrastructure maintenance, public roadside facility, sight line) and to the extent previously cleared (within 10 years and lawful). The debris must be either used on site or removed within 90 days (Schedule 2 clause 3) or 21 days (Schedule 3 clause 2) and not placed in a heap on uncleared vegetation. Persons submitting documentation (e.g. clearing referrals or permit applications) should consider requesting confidentiality in writing at the time of submission if the documentation contains trade secrets or commercially valuable confidential information. They should also ensure they provide up-to-date contact details and respond to any written notices from the CEO under sections 51E(1A), 51KA(2) or 51MA(3), as failure to do so may affect permit processing. Finally, any person who becomes aware of a transfer of interest in the land must notify the CEO under section 51N(1), and the regulations require the CEO to record that notification (regulation 8(6)).