Mill Creek reviews 2024 permitting data and flags permitting software, enforcement and fee issues

Director Ryan, the city’s community development planning director, presented a review of Mill Creek’s 2024 permitting activity and identified software problems, enforcement gaps and a forthcoming fee study.

Ryan said the city issued 861 permits in calendar year 2024 that generated about $289,000 in fees and that average review time across all permit types was about 10.6 days. He told the council the most common permits were mechanical (373 permits) while planning permits were the fewest. He said building permits generate the largest share of revenue — about $174,000 in 2024 — and noted the city outsources many technical reviews to a third-party contractor.

Ryan told council that right-of-way permits took the longest to process (about 40 days) because review includes coordination with outside agencies such as WSDOT and the Department of Transportation. He said mechanical and plumbing permits are often…