A coating and developing apparatus comprises a process block which forms a resist film on a wafer, then transfers the wafer to an exposure apparatus, and performs a developing process on the wafer after exposure, and an interface transfer mechanism provided between the process block and the exposure apparatus. The process block includes unit blocks for coating-film formation and unit blocks for development laid out in a stacked manner. When an abnormality occurs in the interface transfer mechanism, an ordinary process in the unit block for coating-film formation is performed on those substrates which are present in that unit block for coating-film formation, after which processed wafers are retreated to a retaining unit and transfer of any wafer into the unit block for coating-film formation is inhibited.