DBI says expanded over‑the‑counter checks sharply increased permit issuances and should cut backlog

SAN FRANCISCO — Department of Building Inspection senior staff told the Building Inspection Commission on Sept. 19 that an expansion of over‑the‑counter (OTC) plan‑check services has led to a sharp increase in OTC issuances and is beginning to reduce backlog.

"We use real data from [the] permit tracking system so we didn't make this up or massage it in any way," senior staff member Susan Leong said, presenting a handout and a series of columns drawn directly from DBI's tracking system. Leong pointed commissioners to "column C," which she described as permits filed on one date and issued on a later date, and said the count in that column rose from two‑digit monthly values Jan.–May to three‑digit monthly values after the OTC expansion in June.

Leong said the department excluded "no plans" permits from certain percentage calculations because those are issued the same day and are unaffected by the expanded OTC operations. She said the OTC‑with‑plans percentage rose from about 69% (Jan.–May) to the upper‑70s for June–August, an improvement of roughly 10 percentage points within three months.

Director Hassanen said the expanded OTC service is intended to let applicants bring projects that would previously have required longer reviews, while allowing staff to perform more thorough quality checks. "No, we want to do more over the counter," the director said, noting that projects that require corrections typically return for rechecks and that the jump in column C reflects that more complex submittals are now being processed through the OTC channel.

Commissioners asked whether the increase means staff are scrutinizing applications more closely, and whether better upfront education could reduce repeat returns. One commissioner suggested stronger intake standards; the director said improved intake guidelines are a BPR recommendation and that the department will prepare written guidance on what plans should contain to improve first‑pass success.

Leong acknowledged applicants often must return after receiving correction notices, but said the overall effect is faster throughput and greater applicant control: instead of projects sitting in a queue, applicants can walk their plans through and return with corrections for issuance at a later date.

The presentation and discussion emphasized that the improvement has been achieved with existing staff allocations by shifting counter duties and using staff time efficiently; the department said it is also working on outreach and intake‑standard materials to reduce repeat returns.

Next steps noted by the director included implementing BPR intake standards and monitoring whether the expanded OTC service leads to sustained increases in remodel permits and other fee‑generating activity.

The Commission did not take formal action on the presentation; it asked staff to continue reporting data and recommendations as the BPR work proceeds.