Streamlining the building permit process is cost-effective, saves time, and fosters positive customer relations. By eliminating bureaucratic stumbling blocks, the city of Carrollton, Texas, launched a One-Stop-Shop permitting process, resulting in these benefits becoming a reality.

The proactive permitting process is a model other government entities can follow to provide effective and efficient services to developers. All building permits can be approved and issued in 10 to 15 days. This adds value and efficiencies to the development process, where time is money. New levels of customer satisfaction in a dynamic and competitive market are direct benefits as Carrollton’s development activity soars.

A Reality Check
Carrollton’s former building permit process could take up to six months to complete. There was no central point of contact for developers seeking a permit. Inconsistencies occurred in code application and interpretation among some of the city departments, and alternative solutions were rare.

The review process was bureaucratic, with plans sent to seven departments located on two floors of city hall. Each of the departments had its own approval process, timetables,
and priorities. Customers who called to check on the status of their applications had to talk to each department separately. When decisions were made, departments occasionally offered rigid or inappropriate “solutions” or applied “phantom codes.”

The process left many with an unintended perception that the city was unfriendly to businesses, and customers were frustrated. The Carrollton Building Inspection Department recognized the drastic need for change.

Positioning
A strategic team was formed in 1993 to analyze and address the problem. The team interviewed representatives from the various departments to evaluate the tasks. Team members initially encountered territorial defensiveness and apprehension regarding a new system. Of particular concern was the perception that the departments would lose the enforcement power of their specific code jurisdictions.

Carrollton began to hire employees with specific traits for the One-Stop-Shop’s team. A staff was assembled whose members were solution oriented, proactive, courteous, flexible, and able to document actions and keep records. As the team interacted with the directors responsible for approving the various permit documents, understanding, confidence and trust were built. Directors no longer felt threatened as their workload was reduced, and they took on supportive and consultative roles. Soon, team members had completely streamlined the permit process (see Figure 1).

The benefits were:

• All approval functions were situated in one location.
• A permit manager was named as the single point of contact for each development permit.
• The team was empowered to approve and issue building permits to developers.
• Customer service, internally and externally, was enhanced.
• A solution-oriented philosophy became part of the environment.

Key Elements
Permit manager. A permit manager position allows developers to work with a single point of contact in the approval process for building permits. The manager performs the tasks outlined in Figure 2.
 

Pre-application meeting. This meeting facilitates building permit approvals. A meeting is scheduled for soon after an architectural or planning consultant’s preliminary plans have been drawn and before the completion of full construction drawings. During the one-hour session, the site is discussed, and feedback is given to the developer, consultants, and/or any other stakeholders present.

Carrollton also provides printed material containing the city’s requirements, as described above, including the Commercial Project Workbook and the Pre-Application Packet. The developer and/or consultant(s) then take the information from this meeting to adjust their plans in accordance with the local requirements for final permit submittal.

Pre-application meetings are the cornerstone of superior customer service and expeditious permit approval. The meetings receive the most positive customer feedback of the entire process because they are held at the pre-design phase and can eliminate significant redesign of sites or buildings.

Fast-track permits. Carrollton has enhanced the One-Stop-Shop process with fast-track permits, a service that allows developers to act quickly on some aspects of their projects while waiting for others to be approved.

Some development plans require less scrutiny, and permits can be granted early in the building permit approval process. These are handled as fast-track permits for early development tasks, such as utilities, paving, and/or foundation. With a fast-track permit, the contractors can begin work while the developer still is awaiting approval of technical issues like interior building design. Fast-track permits, therefore, enable the customer to shorten the overall construction cycle significantly.

Benefits Are Celebrated
As a result of the One-Stop-Shop, the value-added process now creates a partnership between the developer, stakeholders, and the building inspection department. This partnership helps ensure a long-term relationship and encourages developers and stakeholders to make Carrollton their location of choice for future projects.

The new centralized process allows the building inspection department to anticipate potential complications, to problem-solve, and to reduce delays and redundant information. Often, the city manages to predict issues and avoid surprises, ensuring better customer awareness and satisfaction.

With one primary point of contact, authority for conflict resolution is simplified. Developers and stakeholders have a personal conduit to the building inspection department through whom to channel feedback on services received and on techniques used in the approval process, making it easier for the city to improve the process. Also, complete documentation of the building permit process helps ensure consistency in handling applicants.

The One-Stop-Shop concept and its resulting empowerment of the team members lends a can-do attitude to the entire process and its participants. The One-Stop-Shop team ensures that the permit issuance is expedited. And team members are allowed to problem-solve and to seek solutions that comply with the codes yet achieve customer satisfaction (see Figure 3).
 

A Bright Future
Future expansions of the One-Stop-Shop concept are anticipated. Carrollton expects to broaden the service to cover all private property and associated public works developments. The goal is to reorganize all stages of inspection and construction into a single-process flow.

This approach will ensure that all documents, permits, and procedures relating to a certificate of occupancy will be consolidated and centralized. All city inspections will be done in one department and will be managed with the same philosophies as the building permit procedures. The ultimate goal for the city is to be recognized nationally as a model of customer-friendly city inspections and plan review services.