Chicago's Permitting Overhaul Opens Door to Going Paperless
When it came time for Chicago to overhaul its permitting system four years ago, city officials thought that giving different-sized projects dedicated express lanes might clear up some of the gridlock. The effect has been a 75% reduction in overall processing time.
Standard plan reviews, which make up one-third of the roughly 50,000 permits issued every year, used to sit in city hall for over 120 calendar days. “We are now down to 30 days,” says Richard L. Rodriguez, executive director of the city’s Dept. of Construction and Permits (DCAP).