Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Building Permits And Inspections topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
West Covina highlights faster permitting, online portal and rising construction valuation
Summary
City officials and TransTech staff told the council the building division reduced plan-check times and increased permit and inspection volume, while rolling out a 24/7 online submittal portal and promising further modernization.
West Covina officials and outside consultants presented an update on the city’s building division on the council dais, describing new online permitting tools, staffing levels and recent permit and inspection volumes.
The presentation, delivered by Melissa DeMearcy of TransTech on behalf of the building division, said residents and developers can now submit plans “24 hours a day, 7 days a week” through the city’s GoPost portal and that the system is provided at no additional cost to the city. She said plan-review turnaround for active projects averages about 14 calendar days and inspectors perform about 40 to 70 inspections per day.
The update included a year-end summary for 2024 and a year-to-date snapshot for 2025 through May 31. The building division reported 4,658 building permits processed in 2024, 8,931 inspections and 1,514 plan reviews, with a total reported permit valuation of $64,400,000. For the first five months of 2025, staff reported 1,915 permits, 4,259 inspections and permit valuation reaching $40,900,000.
“We take pride as the building department, oftentimes being the first point of contact for a lot of residents,” DeMearcy said. She described a permit counter open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., remote plan-check staff and a permitting phone line (626-939-8425) for scheduling inspections at least 24 hours in advance.
Deputy director Joanne Burns and building division supervisor Jason Robbins joined DeMearcy at the podium and answered questions about online payment and the city’s plan to expand virtual services. Joanne Burns confirmed the billing and permit invoicing process can be completed online and that applicants receive a payment link by email; Burns said some projects are processed entirely without an in-person visit.
Council members praised the reported reduction in inspection backlogs after complaints in prior years about limited inspector availability. Mayor Tony Wu and Mayor Pro Tem Lopez Viotto thanked staff for the faster processing and customer-service focus.
The presentation noted the building division currently has roughly 10–14 staff at the public counter with an additional 20–25 remote plan-check staff, and that there were about eight projects in plan check at the time of the presentation. DeMearcy said the city and TransTech are continuing to refine the portal and prospective future improvements include bringing some planning review steps online as well.
Council members asked staff to continue reporting turnaround times and to expand online planning services so applicants can complete more of the process remotely.
Sources: presentation and answers on the record from Melissa DeMearcy, Joanne Burns and Jason Robbins.
