As part of Sacramento Streamline, the City of Sacramento announced a pilot program aimed to further improve the efficiency of the building permit process and help ensure that all work performed is done safely. Dubbed the Accelerated Minor Permit Program, this new service – which will go live mid-February – will allow licensed contractors the ability to immediately purchase permits for specific minor installations and repairs. The cost savings of purchasing permits in bulk is estimated to be up to 75 percent. The first available permit would include water heaters for residential and commercial customers, with other work including re-roofs and electrical circuits to follow shortly thereafter.

“We have made considerable progress in making our building permit process easier and quicker,” said Ryan DeVore, Chief Building Official for the City of Sacramento. “Our work to streamline the process continues, and this latest improvement will help contractors who are working on smaller improvements get through permit approval faster.”

The program will allow licensed contractors to immediately purchase permits, in groups of five, for specific minor installations and repairs, at a reduced cost. As part of the program, City staff will randomly inspect one installation per grouping, to make certain work performed is done correctly. By providing this service, the City hopes to encourage contractors and residents to obtain a building permit for a variety of minor permits.

“The program will achieve two major objectives for the city,” said DeVore. “We will offer quicker service for our customers but, most importantly, by offering lower building permit costs we hope to present an attractive option for contractors to obtain proper approvals on work that is conducted. This will increase the protection of our citizens by ensuring installations are done right.”

This concept has been used in other jurisdictions throughout the country. The County of San Diego, City of Los Angeles, and the State of Oregon have similar programs.

Other streamlined improvements are on the horizon, including e-permit – a convenient tool to obtain building permits online without having to come to the City’s public counter. For more information about Sacramento Streamline, visit http://www.cityofsacramento.org/dsd/customer-service/sacramento-streamline.cfm. Contractors interested in the program should contact Community Development at cdd- news@cityofsacramento.org to be added to the mailing list for future updates.