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DBI reports permit-processing gains and steps to expand electronic plan review
Summary
DBI told the Commission it issued more than 4,200 permits in January, described progress on reducing in-house review backlog (to a seven-day intake), and said it will expand electronic plan review and add plan-check staff to improve turnaround.
DBI staff presented updated permitting metrics and a set of operational improvements the department says are already reducing processing delays.
Key numbers: DBI staff reported that in January the department issued 4,238 permits; roughly 2,723 were online and the department continues to process walk‑in and drop‑off applications. Christine Gasparek said the department is tracking an average of about 500 drop‑off permits a month and that in‑house review intake waits have fallen to about seven days. "In January, DBI issued 4,238 permits," she said.
Improvements under way: DBI described multiple actions to accelerate work: hiring four additional plan checkers, offering overtime, reorganizing intake for in‑house projects (which has quadrupled weekly throughput in recent weeks), expanding electronic plan review (EPR) and piloting Prop H intake via Planning for small-business projects. Staff said adding kitchen and bathroom online models will broaden the set of permits available for online issuance.
Customer concerns and future plans: Commissioners and public callers raised recurring frustrations with process handoffs for over‑the‑counter permits that require plan corrections; DBI said the long‑term fix is broader EPR rollout so comments and markups can be exchanged electronically rather than relying on in‑person pickup and drop‑off. The department committed to reporting back with timelines for additional EPR capabilities and a calendar of milestones.
Ending: DBI said it intends to continue tracking improved intake speeds and will return with updates on EPR expansion and a public schedule for milestones.
