Catawba County, North Carolina
One of the first half dozen local governments to launch a website in the late 1990s, Catawba County, NC, (pop. 154,534) has long been a pioneer in the use of new technologies.
In 2013, the Center for Digital Government ranked Catawba as the number one county in the U.S. with a population of between 150,000 and 249,999 in the effective and efficient use of digital technologies.
Catawba County Manager Tom Lundy has fostered a culture of innovation in the county’s technology department. Under his leadership, the department has the resources and license to stay on the cutting edge, so the county can put the latest developments in technology to work for its residents.
Catawba County had been using QR codes (barcodes or two-dimensional code) designed to be read by smartphones, in numerous ways, including in job advertisements and in its libraries. Its Board of Commissioners places QR codes that link to online information on all its meeting agendas, and many county officials carry business cards with QR Codes linked to the county’s website.
After seeing how the county’s library was using QR codes, its Building Services office decided to put the codes on to work to facilitate construction projects.
In 2011, the county added QR codes to the building permit placards posted at job sites. The codes link to GIS information for the building site parcel and to full permit information on the web. Since the data is live and dynamic, anyone with a smartphone can get real-time updates on the status of a project, 24/7, 365 days a year.
The codes were an immediate hit. The county continued to tweak the permit information sites as well as a web-based inspection tracker over the next several months; Building Services staff now reports that they are the most popular way for contractors and members of the public to get information on construction projects.
Another benefit of using QR codes on building permit placards is that they have reduced the amount of time inspectors and permit specialists need to spend answering inquiries, freeing them for other responsibilities.
The University of North Carolina School of Government and North Carolina Local Government Information Systems Association recognized Catawba County’s Building Permit QR Codes system with the top Government Innovation Grant Award for 2011. The program also won a 2012 North Carolina Association of County Commissioners Outstanding County Program Award.
Learn more about Catawba County’s use of technology.
Also see Catawba County: Creating a Safety Net for Foster Kids
Meet the Manager
