Hamilton County to switch building, zoning and stormwater permits to online EZTrac system

Hamilton County commissioners heard a presentation Feb. 11, 2025, on a planned migration of the county’s building, zoning, stormwater and related permitting services from a legacy system into an EZTrac digital permitting platform and were told the go-live date is Feb. 18, 2025.

County officials said the migration will move application intake, plan uploads, partner routing and inspection scheduling to a web-based system developed through the CAGES (Cincinnati Area Geographic Information System) consortium. “This has been a process in the making, but one which is a transformative process for our customers,” James Noyes, director of planning and development, said during the presentation.

County leaders said the change matters because it lets residents, contractors and developers start applications and check project status from any internet-connected device, reducing trips to the courthouse and staff time spent scanning and routing paper documents. Noyes said the legacy PermitsPlus system is about 35 years old and will be retained as a read-only archive after the migration. Staff and county speakers emphasized that the online rollout will be supported by in-person help for residents who prefer or require it.

James Noyes said the new EZTrac portal will allow customers to create an account, submit and manage multiple projects under one login, upload plans by drag-and-drop, receive automated email status notifications and schedule inspections by phone. Mike Stalen of the project team walked commissioners through a test instance of the site, showing a countywide map search that populates jurisdiction-specific permit options depending on address. Noyes and Stalen said routing to partner agencies—zoning authorities, water and sewer agencies, fire districts and the county engineer—will be automated based on permit type and parcel location.

Commissioners raised questions about jurisdictional limits and customer guidance. Staff said the system will prevent applications for services outside county jurisdiction (for example, zoning applications in townships that handle their own zoning) and that they are working to add clearer on-screen guidance and links to the correct jurisdictional contacts. “If we can get back to the board on what that shows, we will,” Mike Stalen said about adding clearer directions for users who attempt to apply in another jurisdiction.

Staff also said they will not accept paper permit applications on the Friday before the migration to allow for data cutover; customers could still meet with staff and get help but the office would not accept new paper filings for entry into the old system. Payment will be supported online via a third-party payment processor; in-person, mail and cash options will remain for customers who need them. The county said it will provide two public terminals in the permit office and four customer-service staff to assist users during the transition period.

Commissioners urged that the EZTrac portal be integrated with the county’s forthcoming website relaunch so residents can find permitting in a single Hamilton County portal and asked staff to develop regular reports on portal use. Commissioner Alicia Reese said the system “provides options for people” and praised keeping cash and in-person help available. County Administrator Jeff Alito and Noyes said staff will monitor the first days of the migration, add interface improvements quickly and produce user guides and tutorial videos prepared by CAGES.

Project leaders named CAGES project manager Raj Chunder, Mohammed Islam (project manager), Brian Snyder, Ryan Shoemaker (customer service supervisor), Chris Porter and other staff and contractors as contributors to the rollout. Flyers with a QR code and online tutorials were available at the meeting; staff said the QR code and test site work and that additional outreach to townships, contractors, the Home Builders Association and professional groups has already taken place.

Staff cautioned that initial weeks may require more hands-on customer help while the public adjusts. “Anytime there’s change, it’s… you have to acclimatize to it and help customers through that process,” Noyes said. He and IT partners said the system already supports report generation and county staff will develop tailored reports to monitor permit volumes and turnaround once operational.

Officials said additional county departments and municipalities that participate in the CAGES consortium will phase into the same platform over time; the county’s plan-development, inspections, development services (zoning and subdivisions), stormwater and conservation/earthworks functions were listed for the first rollout. Staff characterized operational risk as moderate and said they will announce any delay if a migration problem occurs.

Ending: County staff asked commissioners to share feedback on customer experience items such as clearer jurisdictional guidance, reporting needs and branding of the portal to reflect Hamilton County. The administration and planning staff said they will return with follow-up on reporting and jurisdictional messaging after the initial go-live.