Surges of building activity can make it difficult to keep up with the booming demand for quick and efficient development decisions.
During these peak periods, whether it’s a busy building season or rapid economic growth, a municipality’s choice of local government software can make all the difference by:
- Streamlining permitting workflows
- Simplifying the application process
- Improving communication with citizens and builders
Busy seasons can all too easily lead to permitting backlogs, which slow everything down and frustrate stakeholders and staff. But these problems can be prevented and resolved by taking steps now to be ready for building booms.
Why Permit Backlogs Happen
Many things can bog down the permitting process in communities of any size:
- High application volumes during peak construction seasons
- Manual processes and a reliance on paper forms, outdated spreadsheets, and inefficient email chains
- Limited staff capacity
- Silos between departments can delay reviews and approvals
When these issues come up, backlogs are all too likely. Soon, development is delayed, citizens are left less than satisfied, and even the revenue of a municipality can take a serious hit.
How Local Government Software Can Prevent Backlogs
While there are many reasons for permitting backlogs to bubble up, municipalities can also take practical steps to avoid these problems — especially by adopting modern local government software that removes many of these hurdles from the equation.
Here's how to prevent permit backlogs with online applications and payments:
- Reduced walk-ins and paper submissions
- Increased access so residents and contractors can apply anytime, anywhere
- Immediate processing can happen even outside of office hours
With the right permitting software features, such as automated status updates, citizens and builders don’t need to call for updates — they’ll always know where their application is, and they’ll be notified when they’re able to get to work.
Configurable workflows automatically route permits to the right departments, reducing confusion and avoiding the bottlenecks of manual handoffs.
All of these things can reduce the amount of administrative work required for each permit, significantly impacting how municipal staff spend their time.
The right software should also enable collaboration across departments, with a shared property database and real-time GIS integration providing everyone with the information they need, whenever they need it.
Finally, it’s important to maximize staff efficiency. That’s why tools like mobile inspections apps and field-friendly community development platforms are more important than ever. Rather than face duplicate work or re-entering the same information back in the office, building officials can complete inspections right at the site — even if they’re offline.
The Costs of Falling Behind
When contractors are left waiting due to delays or slowed permitting processes, higher costs are inevitable.
For example, one organization looked at the financial toll in Washington state, finding that permit delays could add six months to the construction of a new home and about $26,000 to the overall price.
Beyond increased costs, falling behind on permitting is responsible for:
- Frustrated residents and lost public trust
- Unnecessary hurdles for community growth
- Overworked staff
- Increased risk of employee burnout and errors
Even something as seemingly minor as a two-week backlog can easily turn into a two-month ripple effect on inspections, occupancy, and compliance — and once a busy municipality falls behind, catching back up becomes a seriously difficult task.
Across much of the country, construction is highly seasonal, with the vast majority of new residential starts taking place between April and September.
If a local government isn’t ready for this new wave of activity by the time spring rolls around, the summer months can be especially difficult.
Why Staying Ahead Year-Round Is So Important
With the right software in place, cities and towns can look forward to faster turnaround times year-round, not just during busy seasons. This helps municipalities empower development with:
- Improved public transparency
- Higher citizen satisfaction
- Stronger resilience against staffing shortages
- The ability to scale up services as construction booms
Permit backlogs are far too common, but they aren’t inevitable — and modern local government software can give municipalities the tools they need to keep projects moving forward.
Book a demo with Cloudpermit today to see how we can help your community prevent permit backlogs and deliver faster service all year long.
