Mariposa officials say new Tyler permitting system has cut review times and launch owner-built Title 25 pathway

The Mariposa County building division told the Board of Supervisors on March 10 that a full transition to the Tyler permitting platform has produced measurable improvements in permit processing and launched a new owner-built pathway under Title 25.

"We are now a fully digital workflow," interim building director Corina Miranda said, summarizing the department's work since switching from an AS/400 system in December 2024. Miranda and staff reported the average first-review turnaround dropped from about 12 days to roughly seven days, resubmittals are typically reviewed in two to four days, and the department currently has no backlog in the building review queue.

Miranda said those gains come from time-tracking, automated workflows in Tyler, and tighter coordination across building, planning, environmental health and public works. "We're 40 to 75% faster than our peer jurisdictions" on several measures, she told the board, while noting those comparisons reflect the county's bundled review model (the county performs multiple agency reviews in-house rather than requiring applicants to circulate plans between agencies).

The same presentation detailed implementation of Mariposa's Title 25 ordinance for limited-density owner-built rural dwellings (LDRD), adopted Feb. 3 and effective March 5. Miranda described LDRD as a "lawful rural housing pathway" intended to help homeowners rebuild after wildfire or bring unpermitted owner-built structures into compliance while maintaining life-safety standards.

Key program features staff emphasized include: a requirement that owners be the legal property owner and that the dwelling be a primary residence; Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) compliance for materials and defensible-space standards; a minimum water-storage requirement of 3,000 gallons or an approved alternative (for firefighting and safety); mandatory pre-issuance consultations with building and planning staff; recordation of a notice (describing Title 25 status and any construction nuances) when a permit is issued; and a default three-year resale-occupancy restriction that can be shortened only for documented hardship.

Senior building inspector Justin Meisner said LDRD permits will require topographical site plans to show drainage and access considerations important for fire and emergency response and that inspections will focus on life-safety elements: foundation, framing, sanitation, fire safety and final inspection.

Board members asked about fee levels, future Tyler automations and whether locally milled timber could meet structural standards. CAO Joe Lynch and building staff said the county will review fee schedules as part of its regular process and will rely on published standards (for example, American Wood Council recommendations) and engineering verification where novel materials are proposed.

Miranda said the department has created permit types, a policy manual and public outreach materials; she reported one LDRD application was in the system and several others were in the pipeline. "We're trying to make this as responsible and transparent as possible," she said.

The presentation and subsequent remarks by the CAO and multiple supervisors drew public praise from a local contractor, who told the board the new system made the permitting process markedly easier than in prior years.

Mariposa staff said they will return with a policy manual and periodic reports showing metrics and counts for LDRD and other permit types. The board did not take policy action at the meeting; staff indicated they plan a resolution-level adoption for the administrative policy manual in May.