Why Can't I Do a Single Family House or Commercial Project?
Contractors often ask why we didn't design this Online Permitting System to include single and multi-family homes or commercial structures. In reality we did, and the system could manage them if the process itself could be managed.
We designed Online Permitting to accomplish 3 major objectives:
- Allow a contractor to apply for and receive a permit without ever coming into a County Building.
- Allow the Building Department to issue a permit without receiving or generating a single sheet of paper throughout the entire process.
- Distribute the application and related documents so that all important information was available online without the need to have a paper filing system and the space that is required to store it. Permit related documents should become part of the electronic archive we are trying to build. When GIS comes online you will be able to click on a lot, and see all the documents associated with it, including permit related items.
As of the date of this document (January 15, 2004), there is no way to seal a set of drawings without using a manual, raised seal. This of course means that paper blue prints are involved, and they have to be delivered, handled, and stored which violates all three design specs listed above. We would prefer a copy of the drawing in AutoCad (or compatible) format. We could work with it, process it and return to you for changes if required, and store the final drawing as part of the permit. The Society of Engineers has yet to agree to method to seal drawings electronically, so in the end you still have to bring a sealed set into the office.
We have other problems as well, notably the Energy Calculations. This can often entail up to 17-20 sheets of paper (even though we feel a single summary page would serve the same purpose). Faxing in 17-20 sheets of paper just to satisfy one statute requirement is too clumsy for an online process, and the Energy Calcs are just one example.
We also get into issues with State agencies such as Environmental Heath who still require paper in their application process. It makes no sense to do our portion online if you still have to come in and file manually with Environmental Health or other agencies. We hope the State will eventually adopt a more paperless approach but for time being the existing process remains.
Hopefully these issues get resolved over time, and we will constantly be exploiting ways to make that happen. The BOCC benefits as much from a paperless online system as the contractors do, and it our goal to get this entire process online as these issues are overcome.
