Which fee will NOT be returned to the applicant if a license application is returned, denied, or withdrawn?

The application processing fee is specifically intended to cover the costs associated with reviewing and processing the application, regardless of the outcome. When an application is returned, denied, or withdrawn, the resources and efforts expended in processing that application have already been utilized, thus this fee is not refunded.

In contrast, the biennial license fee and the recovery fund assessment are typically structured such that they may be refunded under certain circumstances or carried forward in some licensing frameworks. This differentiation in the treatment of fees reflects the purposes they serve within the licensing process. Therefore, the application processing fee stands out as the fee that is non-refundable when the application itself does not proceed successfully.