Here’s What Government Officials Say About Online Permitting Software

Doing more with less is the name of the game for many local governments these days, whether it’s keeping up with rapid community development or simply handling the work with a slim staff. Many communities have found a modern tool to get more done: Online permitting software.

In towns and cities across the U.S. and Canada, Cloudpermit’s comprehensive platform for online permitting has streamlined processes, sped up permit turnaround times, and helped communities become more sustainable by reducing paperwork. Here’s what government officials say about the difference that our software has made for their communities.

Speed Up Permitting

Meriwether County, Georgia, moved to our cloud-based software and immediately noticed big improvements in its land management processes. Cassandra Sharpe, Director of Planning, Zoning, and Community Development, said part of the motivation was to protect data — by moving it online, they wouldn’t be at risk of losing files in fires or floods.

It was also important to make this data more accessible for county staff, builders, and applicants. On top of improving data security and transparency, she said the change has helped streamline the whole process of issuing permits.

Applicants used to spend an hour coming to our office for a permit,” Sharpe said. “Now, our builders can apply online, and we just need to check their submissions. This not only saves us a lot of time by reducing paperwork but also makes our builders happy.”

Moving away from decades-old on-premises software in the Town of North Elba, New York, provided the innovation and efficiency that was needed to keep up with modern demand.

Cloudpermit has truly streamlined our permit process,” said Britt Waite, North Elba’s Building & Planning Department Clerk/STR Compliance Monitor. “Upgrading from on-premises software to the cloud has been like going from a horse to a sports car. Everything is so much easier now.”

With our online permitting software, the Town of Searsport, Maine, reduced its average permit turnaround time from two weeks to four hours or less.

All of the contractors in the area are very happy about it,” said Code Enforcement Officer Victor Mazza. “It means they can start work two weeks earlier.”

Make the Process More Efficient

The Town of Cobourg, Ontario, increased the number of permits issued by 60% when it switched to Cloudpermit.

We achieved this growth and the increased permit volume with minimal impact on existing staff because of this software,” said Dave Hancock, the town’s Chief Building Official. “It has transformed how we review and issue permits, talk with applicants, and perform inspections.”

A major component of the improved efficiency in Hancock came down to the ability to do more work remotely and cut down on duplicating tasks like re-entering notes or images back in the office.

Our previous software lacked real-time functionality,” Hancock said. “We had to return to the office to reinput the same work we did in the field. Often, we then had to email applicants with the same information. Now, we can enter our notes directly into Cloudpermit from the field and automatically send notifications to applicants.”

The boost to efficiency also made a positive impact in the Town of Erin, Ontario, when building department support firm RSM Building Consultants was looking to streamline the permitting process.

In 2023, the Town of Erin received and issued double the number of applications from 2022 with 743 applications,” said Anne Read, RSM’s Manager of Municipal Services. “It was almost two full-time jobs to do Erin’s administrative work before this software. Cloudpermit made our operations so efficient that we only needed one part-time staff member to handle the workload.”

Embrace Sustainability by Moving Online

In 2023, the City of Fruita, Colorado, switched to in-house community development after contracting with the county to handle permitting. At the time, city officials wanted to find a platform that could offer more autonomy, better customer service, and improved workflows.

Cloudpermit’s building permitting software also helped the city live up to its commitment to sustainability by greatly reducing how much paper is required.

We incorporate our city’s values into everything we do and focus on lifestyle, economic health, and quality of place,” said Henry Hemphill, Fruita’s City Planner. “By using cloud-based software, we can fast track gathering information for faster building permits and planning approvals. As a result, we can offer services aligned with our values that better respect our public’s time.”

The Municipality of Middlesex Centre, Ontario, kept up with rapid growth in housing starts by embracing a modern community development platform. In two years, the number of new dwellings more than doubled and total permits increased by more than 50%.

Moving online made it possible to keep up with that significant increase while also embracing a more environmentally friendly workflow.

Our building permitting process has become more sustainable with Cloudpermit,” said Arnie Marsman, Middlesex Centre’s Chief Building Official. “We’ve annually saved over 15,000 sheets of paper, eliminated 1,400 office visits, and cut application administration time in half.”

Simplify the Process for Everyone

One major advantage of Cloudpermit’s online permitting software is that applicants must submit complete applications. This feature has cut the processing time by months for the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District in British Columbia.

Before this software, the majority of our permit applications used to be incomplete,” said Chief Building Official Jay McEwen. “Now, we no longer chase assets since all submitted applications are complete.”

It was a particularly important improvement for the SLRD after a devastating 2023 wildfire season damaged 56 properties, including many secondary or vacation properties for residents who live elsewhere in British Columbia.

This software has truly expedited our approval process,” McEwen said. “Now, we can help our community move forward faster after such tragedies.”

The Township of Southwold was one of the first Canadian adopters of Cloudpermit in 2020. Corey Pemberton, the Director of Building and Community Services at the time, said the software helped save staff time by enabling mobile inspections. It even streamlined things enough to prevent the need to hire extra staff during a building boom.

Still, he said customer service has to remain a top priority as governments modernize their processes, and that was one of the reasons why this software was the right fit for his community.

I’ve used other platforms in the past and have found Cloudpermit to be the most user-friendly system,” Pemberton said. “We have an easier time showing first-time applicants how to navigate this software than we have with other systems.”

Learn More About Online Permitting Software That Works

Hundreds of local governments across North America have found that Cloudpermit is the right permitting software to meet their needs. Their stories of reduced administrative work, faster permit turnaround times, and increased responsiveness to builders and citizens show how this software can streamline every part of the process and make everything more efficient.