Online Permit System Implementation

Summary

Moving permit applications online—eliminating the requirement to appear in person during office hours, fill out paper forms, and return for corrections—produced a dramatic increase in permit filings. Much of the suppressed demand was latent: contractors and homeowners who had avoided the permit process because of inconvenience began complying. The result suggests that many permit compliance gaps are friction problems, not evasion problems.

Research question

"Does moving the building permit process online increase permit issuance and revenue?"

Methodology

Result

Positive

+214% permits issued in first quarter post-launch; revenue increased to $140,000

Evidence strength

Limited

Observational or pre-post design; correlation not necessarily causal.

Replication status

Partially replicated