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What Local Governments Say About Online Code Enforcement Software

Written by Cloudpermit | Dec 5, 2024 2:36:50 PM

Streamlining code enforcement by bringing it online is more important than ever to help improve efficiency for local governments across North America. Our code enforcement software allows for online complaint submission, case creation and reviews in the field, and easily allows code officers to work with other government departments. From tracking violations to conducting field inspections, everything you need to do or monitor will be accessible on your phone, tablet, or computer.

We could go on about our cutting-edge product for community development efforts. Our interactive maps are fully integrated with your GIS to show real-time information, for example, showing full property history and even planning optimal routes for inspectors to maximize their efficiency each day. But you don’t have to take our word for it — we’re excited to share enthusiastic testimonials from local government officials who have seen the positive impact on their department and community by bringing code enforcement into the cloud.

Spend More Time on Work, Not Administrative Tasks

The City of Brockville, Ontario, was suffering from a common problem: A staff shortage. That’s why Brockville officials started using Cloudpermit in 2022 for building permits and streamlined its by-law enforcement in 2023. With only one by-law officer, the city knew it was vital to have a user-friendly system to manage complaints. The move to the cloud gave residents the ability to submit complaints online, reducing phone calls, emails, and office visits from citizens.

The Chief Building Official, Sebastian Scott, discussed how being online allows the city to learn about areas needing attention by visualizing residents’ complaints on a map. It also shifted the responsibility of inputting complaints off government staff, freeing up the workday for city employees who can now do other things and respond to twice as many complaints.

Now that complainants handle this administrative work, our staff can concentrate on addressing real issues instead of getting tied up with paperwork,” Scott said. “Since we’ve cut our administrative time in half, it’s much easier to issue and serve orders.”

No Learning Curve: A User-Friendly Product

When the City of Brownwood, Texas, made the move to online code enforcement in 2023, officials knew they needed future-focused software to speed up how they do their jobs. The Lead Code Officer, Jose Gonzalez, said rather than spending 20 minutes opening a case, the process was reduced to just five minutes. It also cut the waiting time and brought all information into one place everyone could access. Brownwood’s GIS maps are integrated into the system, meaning staff can look up addresses, do follow-ups, and stay organized.

If you want reliable, fast, and easy-to-use code enforcement software, Cloudpermit is the answer,” Gonzalez said.

While our code enforcement software is powerful and comprehensive, it wouldn’t be effective if it was hard to learn — and that’s not the case at all, according to Brownwood Director of Planning and Development Tim Murray.

If a country boy like me can figure out how to manipulate and navigate Cloudpermit without any training, then the software must be really user-friendly,” he said. “It took me 20 years to learn how to use other systems as effectively as I could use Cloudpermit in just one day.”

Seamlessly Work with Other Departments

In Seneca County and the Town of Waterloo, New York, making the switch to our community development software did much more than streamline code enforcement. The County Director of Code Enforcement, Lee Earp, said the software helped the community reduce its office storage, paper usage, and carbon footprint while freeing up time for staff members. Waterloo’s Code Enforcement Officer, Jim Cleere, said this change has also made it easier than ever to work with other departments while fulfilling their duties.

Our building and code enforcement departments can easily work together,” Cleere said. “Instead of playing phone tag, we can access the information we need in the cloud.”

The City of Franklin, Pennsylvania, also saw immediate benefits of cross-department work since starting to use Cloudpermit in 2023.

Balancing responsibilities between the building and code enforcement departments can be challenging as a one-person team,” Code Enforcement Officer Charles Gibbons said. “I’m thrilled about the increased flexibility and efficiency I’ll have... with Cloudpermit. I can upload photos of incidents to an online file, so I don't always need to be in the office to work. Cloudpermit gives me the tools to work more efficiently in the field.”

While it was new for the city to use online software, Gibbons said Cloudpermit has provided “invaluable” training and support as staff made this big switch.

Cloudpermit is a one-stop shop for everything I need,” Gibbons said. “Every day, I learn something new I can do for more efficient building permitting and code enforcement. I look forward to the years ahead with this software.”

In Canada, the County of Lambton, Ontario, also streamlined its cross-department work by selecting Cloudpermit.

The crossover between building permitting and by-law enforcement is great in Cloudpermit. Now, our building inspector will immediately know about any existing orders on a property when they visit an address,” said Chief Building Official Corrine Nauta, adding, “Cloudpermit helps cut red tape and bridge the gap between our staff and the public.”

An All-in-One Platform for Community Development

When White Oak Borough, Pennsylvania, was looking for a community development platform and code enforcement software, Cloudpermit stood out because of its strong customer stories and all the different aspects of local government work it could handle.

Other software providers charged extra for inspections. With Cloudpermit, everything we’d need for code enforcement was included,” explained John Snelson, Code Enforcement/Zoning Officer. “We didn't need to start from scratch because it was easily configured to meet a lot of our needs during implementation. We were confident with our decision because Cloudpermit offered what we needed, fit our budget, and worked with many other governments.”

Snelson can access the software anywhere, making it possible to perform an inspection and print a violation right in the field without requiring a trip back to the office. From his vehicle, he can now search for violations, add photos, create notices from saved templates, and perform inspections.

Re-inspections are easy — all you have to do is click,” he said.

Move Online and Cut Down Your Paperwork

Pennsylvania’s Cranberry Township knew it needed to change its community development systems when it made the switch in 2022. While staff formerly had to use two processes — one involving manual digital input and the other entirely dependent on paper — embracing code enforcement software helped the township improve data accessibility and cut down on its use and storage of paper.

With Cloudpermit, we can now search for an address and view past zoning permits, building permits, and any code enforcement issues in the same place. It’s nice to have all that information at your fingertips, without any data storage limits, in the cloud,” Township Manager Eric Heil said. “It used to be difficult for us to go back and find past permits from years ago with our old processes. Now, our records are searchable and quickly accessible. The more information and various fields we fill out online, the faster it is to find property information later.”

Learn More About Our Code Enforcement Software

There are several advantages of leveling up your local government with the right code enforcement software. Many communities across North America know that Cloudpermit is easy to use and makes it possible to get work done on the road or in the field with phones, tablets, or laptops. Learn more about what we can do for your department by booking a demo with us today.