Now that's pretty. Oregon's new online permitting interface.

 

Here’s some good news for Oregon contractors:  Electronic Permitting is here. That’s right, no more standing in line with folders full of printed submittals and waiting all day for your permit. The click of a few buttons and you are in business. Great news, right? Unfortunately, Oregon isn’t sharing that celebration with Washington. So I say – why not?

 

Last week, the State of Oregon released its new ePermitting online interface. The website allows contractors, owners and even local building departments to create an account, submit building plans and procure permits. With your account, you can track the progress of submissions, print documents and get posting information.

The state has ran a limited test version in the City of Florence since 2009, working out the kinks. Perhaps the most impressive result of the new system, is that Oregon tackled the task of coagulating a local process into one central location.

From a quick glance at the system, there is a lot to love. The interface is built simply, leaving little to confuse the user. All of the legal information and posting requirements are integrated into the interface as a library. So, the user can answer a lot of its own questions. Oregon is also offering an online training course, accessible through the website. Each step of the course is laid out in PDF forms, so you can download it and take it with you if need be.

The benefits of the system – cut down on excess paper use, overhead and travel. I am a huge proponent of streamlining government services through the use of technology. Heck, if we have the ability to do it, why not? Think of the monstrous reduction in pape and the huge reduction in construction vehicle travel to downtown government offices. Every jurisdiction could benefit from such a change.

In Washington we still lack a comparable system. Some counties, like Pierce County, have taken the plunge by creating their own online permitting systems. But, in most Washington counties, contractors still print out their package of submittals, drive their Diesel V-8 1 ton trucks downtown, and wait hours in a brightly lit office to gain approval to begin work. The procedure is so onerous, that you have to call and schedule an appointment well in advance of your arrival. Planning is no simple task.

Washington should take a step forward and follow the Oregon model. Simplifying this process saves money for the consumer and the contractor, all while better benefitting the environment and reducing the cost of an expensive government service.

Anyone have experience with online permitting? Let me know.