1. Attend a Napa Green Certified Winery orientation workshop to become familiar with the program requirements and to meet with current Napa Green Certified Winery and Napa County representatives who will assist you with any questions you may have. Workshops are brief, 1 hour sessions, and workshop schedules may be obtained by contacting Anne Steinhauer at ASteinhauer@napavintners.com or 707-968-4206.

2. Review the Bay Area Green Business Checklist, available on the NVV website, and begin to establish what green business practices you already have in place. Many of you will already be green compliant in this arena. It is best to begin to implement these green business practices prior to sending in your application in order to speed up the certification process. As soon as you submit your application (step 3) to the NVV begin to complete the checklist for submission to the DEM upon the compliance certification from Napa County. (step 8)

3. Complete the Napa Green Certified Winery program application and be sure to include your parcel number. Submit the application to the Napa Valley Vintners (NVV).

4. The NVV will submit your application to the Napa County Department of Environmental Management (DEM). A limited number of wineries can be processed each quarter.

5. Within 60 days of receiving the application from the NVV, the DEM will schedule and complete a regulatory review to determine if there are any outstanding compliance issues within the County, State or Federal regulations as it pertains to the Napa County Department of Environmental Management, Planning, Building, and Public Works. To speed up your process please review your current Use Permit and your facility DEM requirements before submittal of your application to the NVV.

6. The applicant will be notified of any outstanding items or noncompliance issues. Except where required by existing laws, DEM will work with the wineries on an educational basis and will not take an enforcement position as long as the winery begins measures to correct any noncompliance matters. One of the features of the Napa Green program is facilitating a synergistic and sustainable relationship between the Napa County agencies and the wineries. Winery compliance helps the county regulatory agencies to operate more efficiently providing more time and manpower to serve our community needs.

7. Upon confirmation of compliance the applicant has up to 30 days to submit the Bay Area Green Business winery checklist, demonstrating that the winery is meeting the requisite number of Green Business Best Practices.

8. The DEM will arrange a follow-up site visit within 30 days of receipt of the completed checklist. Within one week of completion of all requirements the applicant will receive their Green Business Certification letter and will be granted Napa Green Certified Winery designation. Upon certification and membership in the Napa Green Certified Winery program, applicants must maintain regulatory compliance or risk losing certification status.

9. Certified wineries must submit a concise annual report to the DEM outlining green business accomplishments for the prior year.

10. Certified wineries must repeat outlined steps every three years to be recertified and maintain certification and designation as a Napa Green.