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Auburn permit technicians describe intake workload, business-license transfer and safety role
Summary
Devin Cannon, Permit Technician II with the City of Auburn, said the Permit Center screens incoming applications, routes them to reviewers, assesses fees and issues permits; the team handles roughly 18–30 action items per day and absorbed business licensing work earlier in 2025.
Devin Cannon, Permit Technician II for the City of Auburn, said the Permit Center serves as the “first and last” point of contact for many applications, screening submissions, routing them to reviewers and issuing permits after reviews are complete.
The change matters because permitting enforces local building codes intended for life and safety, affects property value for projects such as accessory dwelling units and represents an operational shift for the city after business licensing was moved into the Permit Center at the start of 2025.
Cannon, one of four permit technicians, summarized the team’s day-to-day: “So my job is to essentially, I guess, kind of like filter the applications that come in, make sure they are substantial, have all the documents needed to route to our reviewers.” He said the Permit Center’s dashboard typically shows about 18 to 30 action-required items on a given day, including new applications and resubmittals.
The Permit Center performs intake, routes plans to reviewers across disciplines, assesses fees on many applications, issues comment letters when changes are needed and packages approvals for issuance. Cannon said the unit handles a broad mix of permits — building, civil (for example, grading and utility extensions), land-use and zoning, water and sewer, and temporary-use permits such as carnivals and other events.
Staffing and responsibilities have changed recently: Cannon said business licensing, previously managed by a single supervisor, was transitioned to the Permit Center “at the beginning of this year, 2025.” He credited Tiffany, his supervisor, with taking on much of the responsibility during the transition and noted the team is still adjusting to the additional workload and procedures the change required.
Cannon also described training and certification pathways: he said he began as an intern with the city, later entered the clerical pool and then applied for a regular position; he added that permit technicians may take certification tests for their roles. He framed permitting as more than paperwork: “Well, if you wanna get serious about it, life and safety,” Cannon said, adding that code requirements evolve over time and that permitted work — for example, accessory dwelling units — is recognized by jurisdictions and can add value to a home.
The podcast included a trivia question citing the city website that noted approval from local public-health authorities (King County or Pierce County health departments) is required for new residences served by septic systems and for most changes affecting properties served by septic. The hosts used that point to underline how permitting and related approvals can involve multiple agencies and technical requirements.
No formal policy actions, motions or votes were taken on the podcast; the episode offered an explanatory view of the Permit Center’s functions, recent operational changes and why permitting matters to homeowners, builders and developers.
For residents seeking help or more information, Cannon recommended using the city’s online portal to submit applications and to check the Permit Center dashboard for status updates.
