In the late 1990s, whenever citizens of Sunnyvale, California (132,000), needed a permit, they had to come into city hall. The city had developed a one-stop permit center that processed permits quickly, but because traffic in the region is very heavy and many contractors are located 20–30 miles from the city office, obtaining a permit often required a half day—or even more. The city therefore decided to develop an Internet-based permitting system that would allow contractors and homeowners to apply for permits from anywhere, at any time. Ali Fatapour Chief Building Official City of Sunnyvale P.O. Box 3707 Sunnyvale, CA 94088 408/730-7432 Fax: 408/730-7715 E-mail: afatapour@ci.sunnyvale.ca.us Web site: ecityhall.sunnyvale.ca.gov/cd