Incomplete permit application submissions are one of the biggest frustrations for citizens and administrative staff alike.
Housing and commercial permits are intricate. They require detailed documentation and when presented on paper, can seem confusing and even discouraging for all involved. For the citizen, in particular, it often feels like a guessing game of knowing what information is required and if everything has been documented and submitted correctly.
In addition, for administrative teams, it’s a tedious process that can take hours to both coordinate and analyze. If, for instance, a citizen forgets to include pertinent information or to attach required sketches or drawings, the permit application must be resubmitted and re-evaluated.”
With both ends struggling to manage and maintain a great deal of paperwork and redundancies, transitioning to digital permitting software can be a major tool for alleviating many of these headaches. From improving the citizen experience to streamlined inspection management, in this article, we’re focusing on how digital permitting solutions can simplify the application submission process – specifically, how PSD Citywide’s Permitting Software tackles the issue of incomplete permit applications and empowers citizens.
How PSD Citywide Solves Incomplete Permit Application Submissions
Simple, Intuitive, and Comprehensive
Digital permitting solutions allow for a more streamlined process and with the added feature of controlling the content and the completion of the information collected prior to being submitted. From the moment citizens access the permitting portal supported by PSD Citywide, they’re provided with an easy-to-navigate step-by-step application process. Mandatory fields are provided to ensure all information is collected and only finished applications with all required documents can be submitted. For the citizens, it simplifies the process of submitting a request while also reducing s the number of incomplete submissions for back-of-office administrative staff.
Real-time Transparency
By simply logging into a portal supported by PSD Citywide Permitting, citizens can see whether their application has been approved, needs improvement, or has been rejected. For rejections, communities can provide further justification for their decision online, so the citizen understands what information is missing and how they can make amendments to their proposed plan. From an efficiency perspective, this is huge, as citizens today regularly have to wait hours, days, and weeks to mail in or walk into offices for clarification and re-submission of requests.
Less Room for Error
From a back-end administration perspective, submission processes can get cluttered – especially with the number of documents required for a single application. By using a fully digital permitting solution, all information can be stored securely in a single cloud-based digital file. All corresponding notes and documents are attached to a single digital application, which means no paper, drawings, USBs, or supporting documents get lost in the shuffle.
Modifications Over Time
For citizens, having all the information they need to complete an application might not be a reality. While inputting numbers and attaching projects, they might have to request additional details, ask for assistance, or revisit the application as a whole when they have a better understanding of the scope of work. With PSD Citywide Permitting, applications are saved and stored safely. Citizens can leave their application and revisit it at any time as they finalize everything they need to submit a well-documented request.
Precise Requirements
Different permit types call for different applications and requirements. Whether the request is for a new home permit or a commercial one, PSD Citywide Permitting can ensure that all application forms are designed to capture the precise information needed for each type of request. Administrative staff can set actionable standards for specific permits to ensure the right information is being collected. Citizens won’t have to guess if they’ve provided enough information to be considered as the system will guide them through the precise details for each unique type of application.
Centralized Permit Management
As previously alluded to, PSD Citywide’s Permitting solution offers a centralized system to monitor and engage all permit applications. At a glance, administrative teams can understand what’s new, in progress, approved, or denied. Drill down deeper and view each permit, review the details of the information provided, quickly access relevant attachments and supporting documents, as well as schedule and see the status of any inspections. With a centralized approach to permit management, managing incoming applications and understanding them becomes much easier for administrative staff – allowing teams to do more with fewer resources.
Submitting permit applications doesn’t have to be a stressful process. With the right permitting software that ensures each application is complete and includes all supporting documents needed to make a decision, you can streamline your operations, become more organized, reduce errors, and be confident you have the required information you need to approve or deny.
