What century is your building department in? (POLL)

[Rick18071]

We got hit with ransomware so we are back to 100% paper for the last 3 weeks. And we now have no idea what jobs failed or passed inspections or what they failed for.

 

[No Soup for you]

We got hit with ransomware so we are back to 100% paper for the last 3 weeks. And we now have no idea what jobs failed or passed inspections or what they failed for.

geez, thats a nightmare.......

our town supervisor (mayor) wants to go 100% paperless. Especially since we asked for $ for more filing cabinets last month... HAHA

I cant see that ever happening.

 

[Joe.B]

I think it would be prudent to always have the option to use paper for some of the most essential functions. Paperless is great but when something unforeseen happens (ransomware, power failure, IT fire, etc...) it would be extremely beneficial to have the ability to function. Later when systems are back up and running things can get digitized.

 

[Devohle']

This is the exact topic I was looking for!

There is a total of 6,000 people in the city so I am the guy doing everything from the building side (permitting/inspections/plan-review) for the jurisdiction.

We currently use all separate systems for the finance/public works/building departments and it would be nice to just use a single system for it all.

Are there some smaller communities out there who have found a solution that works for them?

I am waiting to hear back from ICC on Municity to see if their system will work for our small town.

Feel free to private message me if you have time to chat!

 

[JPohling]

Here in San Diego I would say we are in the stone age. After 2 years of digital permit submittals, the process has gotten so bad that I just cannot see how it is sustainable for anyone to actually get a permit. I am only speaking about Tenant Improvement permits because that is what we do. We just got a few tidbits of information that is laughable at best. Here are the time frames they just sent out. From receipt of the digital submittal until they have the project set up in the system will be 30 business days. That is nearly 2 months of admin. Then you will be assigned a plan reviewer and plan check can begin. obviously plan review time is dependant on the scope and size of the project, but safe to say it is painfully slow. Then after all approvals have been completed they move the project to Permit Issuance. The time frame to issue the permit once it reaches permit issuance is 20 business days. That is another month. So just for the most basic of permits the admin time involved to obtain a permit is 3 months.

 

[Devohle']

Here in San Diego I would say we are in the stone age. After 2 years of digital permit submittals, the process has gotten so bad that I just cannot see how it is sustainable for anyone to actually get a permit. I am only speaking about Tenant Improvement permits because that is what we do. We just got a few tidbits of information that is laughable at best. Here are the time frames they just sent out. From receipt of the digital submittal until they have the project set up in the system will be 30 business days. That is nearly 2 months of admin. Then you will be assigned a plan reviewer and plan check can begin. obviously plan review time is dependant on the scope and size of the project, but safe to say it is painfully slow. Then after all approvals have been completed they move the project to Permit Issuance. The time frame to issue the permit once it reaches permit issuance is 20 business days. That is another month. So just for the most basic of permits the admin time involved to obtain a permit is 3 months.

Wow... you would think the digital process would help! Maybe a dedicated person to handle all issues related to the permitting system would help things. Yeah... its not in our city budget either...

 

[Inspector Gadget]

So just for the most basic of permits the admin time involved to obtain a permit is 3 months.

Sweet bippity - we're aiming for two weeks MAX. Smaller jurisdiction, but one with some complicated land-use, as we provide service to several municipalities which each have unique zoning requirements.

We're (finally) moving to a digital system.

 

[Devohle']

Sweet bippity - we're aiming for two weeks MAX. Smaller jurisdiction, but one with some complicated land-use, as we provide service to several municipalities which each have unique zoning requirements.

We're (finally) moving to a digital system.

Who are you going with to digitize your permit/plan review processes?

 

[Rick18071]

Here in San Diego I would say we are in the stone age. After 2 years of digital permit submittals, the process has gotten so bad that I just cannot see how it is sustainable for anyone to actually get a permit. I am only speaking about Tenant Improvement permits because that is what we do. We just got a few tidbits of information that is laughable at best. Here are the time frames they just sent out. From receipt of the digital submittal until they have the project set up in the system will be 30 business days. That is nearly 2 months of admin. Then you will be assigned a plan reviewer and plan check can begin. obviously plan review time is dependant on the scope and size of the project, but safe to say it is painfully slow. Then after all approvals have been completed they move the project to Permit Issuance. The time frame to issue the permit once it reaches permit issuance is 20 business days. That is another month. So just for the most basic of permits the admin time involved to obtain a permit is 3 months.

Do you have a law that requires permit to be issued or denied within so many days?
Here in PA we have 30 days, for stamped residential we have 5 days.
We are mostly stone age.

 

[Inspector Gadget]

Who are you going with to digitize your permit/plan review processes?

Our uberboss is an IT geek at heart, and is essentially creating a customized database system.... So we will own it, and it will do exactly what we need, and can be modified as our needs change.

 

[mtlogcabin]

and is essentially creating a customized database system....

And when he leaves who will have the knowledge to maintain it. We had a locally customized data base for about 10 years until updates from the underlying platform and support where no longer available from the manufacturer, Think Microsoft versions that are no longer supported for example.

 

[Inspector Gadget]

And when he leaves who will have the knowledge to maintain it. We had a locally customized data base for about 10 years until updates from the underlying platform and support where no longer available from the manufacturer, Think Microsoft versions that are no longer supported for example.

This is all mySQL stuff, with a generic interface ... in fact, that's the reason the boss said "screw it, let's do it ourselves" because companies go under, change platforms, demand more, etc.

 

[jar546]

Do you have a law that requires permit to be issued or denied within so many days?
Here in PA we have 30 days, for stamped residential we have 5 days.
We are mostly stone age.

You can reject the drawings within the 30 or 5 day timeframe and the clock goes away. You don't have to approve them in 5 or 30 days.