Spokane County’s director of Building and Code Enforcement told commissioners Oct. 20 that permit review timelines remain higher than targets and that the department will seek a small set of staffing changes plus a new permitting system to speed reviews.

Lord Young, the department director, said current building‑code review timelines (a snapshot taken last Wednesday) were about 26 calendar days for single‑family plans, roughly 40 days for commercial reviews and about 29 days for tenant improvements. He said the department’s goal is to reduce single‑family review to roughly three weeks or less and to shorten other permit timelines by about a week to 10 days.

Why it matters: Permitting timelines affect housing starts, commercial renovations and developers’ scheduling. Builders and municipal partners told commissioners they want predictable turnarounds; county staff said better software and a “single‑throat‑to‑choke” workflow owner could shrink delays caused by multiple departments and inconsistent data in the current system.

Staffing and software plan
Young outlined four near‑term steps: hire a plans examiner (position currently posted and interviewing), convert the prior building official slot into an assistant building official (to help triage complex code questions), add an office/permit manager to improve workflow reporting and evaluate permit‑software alternatives. Young said two of the positions are already budgeted; the department proposes adding a permit manager funded from existing enterprise fund balances if the board approves.

Direct quote on priorities
"Our current goals are to get the single family down to about 3 weeks or less," Lord Young said, summarizing the department’s performance target and the staff plan to reach it.

Permitting software and dashboard
Young and other staff described the county’s current permit software as brittle and cited inconsistent data and reporting as barriers to producing a reliable public dashboard. Staff estimated a modern replacement — with implementation timed to avoid peak permit season — would cost roughly $100,000–$200,000 for full implementation; they said the software’s annual licensing could produce net annual savings versus the current vendor in some scenarios. The department recommended timing a system implementation in the 2026 slow season, with a worst‑case schedule in 2027.

Process changes and a concierge idea
Commissioners and staff discussed a “concierge” or single‑contact model used in some jurisdictions — one person or small team shepherds an application through multiple departments — and several commissioners urged building a cross‑department dashboard that shows the status of public‑facing permit milestones. Staff agreed a dashboard must combine building, planning and public works data to be useful.

Timing and budget
Young said the department has contingency and fund balance in its enterprise fund to cover an initial investment in software and the near‑term hiring; two positions are already budgeted and the department will return with a capital line or budget amendment once a vendor and price are chosen. Staff recommended timing implementation around low permit volumes to limit disruption to applicants.

Ending note
County staff said they will continue recruiting for the plans‑examiner slot, pursue the assistant building official conversion and provide a more detailed software scope and estimate once vendor evaluations are complete.