MODEL # 97-3
PALM BEACH COUNTY PERMIT CENTER
PALM BEACH COUNTY, FLORIDA
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

REGULATORY AREAS:
Administration & Enforcement
Construction Codes
Environmental & Flood Plain
Health

PROBLEM:

How to streamline a building permitting process by reorganizing procedures and promoting a clearer understanding of customer responsibilities and compliance.

SOLUTION:

In order to simplify the building permitting process for both the users and the Palm Beach government, the Planning, Zoning and Building (PZ&B) Department Permit Center (see attached Users Guide) was created in 1995. The Permit Center allows building permit applicants to submit required forms at a centralized permitting location, thereby eliminating multi-stop visits and reducing application paperwork needed to be submitted to each reviewing agency. This case study was created as a joint effort including the Palm Beach PZ&B Administrative Consultants and several evaluation committees comprised of local regulators and industry representatives.

DESCRIPTION:

The Palm Beach County Permit Center case study is a "One Stop" centralized program. The main strengths of this case study include the following: (1) the identification of all regulatory agencies involved in the Building Permit Process, (2) the establishment of a comprehensive application submission checklist for all categories of building occupancy and construction types, (3) the establishment of the processes for routing and coordinating all affected agency reviews and approvals, and (4) the establishment of responsibilities for inter-agency coordination and documentation for the issuance of building permits.

One of the major accomplishments of this case study was to bring all the agencies involved in the Palm Beach building permitting process together physically under one roof (or at least the roof next door). The agencies involved include: Addressing; Building; Business and Professional Regulations; Environmental Resources Management; Fire Rescue; Health Unit; Land Development; Landscaping; and Zoning.

The centralized Permit Center allows for concurrent review in which regulatory agencies process only applicable portions of a permit application necessary for approval. The Permit Center coordinates, distributes, routes, and re-consolidates application packages when the permit is ready for issuance.

The process includes the self certification of the permit package by the user. If done properly this can save a considerable amount of time for all involved parties. However, if part of the package is missing or done incorrectly the County Administrators have found that several long, inconvenient delays can be experienced.

The most significant tool of the Permit Center is the Application Matrix. This is provided in Appendix C of the Users Guide and explained on pages 66-67. The Application Matrix is a checklist of requirements of the separate permit types that must be included in all permit applications. This process can begin only after all required platting or rezoning approvals have been secured. Following page 67 there are 10 pages of tables where an applicant can determine which Type of construction their project is, the submission requirements, and approximately how long the permit process should take. Immediately following these are the required detailed Checklists for each type of construction, as determined in the previous tables.

Besides Administration and Enforcement, other Regulatory Areas included within the Palm Beach County submission, and can be found on the pages shown below:

Automation, pp. 43-45

Construction Codes, Appendix C (Permit Checklists)

Environmental & Flood, pp. 19-28, 31-37

Health, pp. 14-18

EVALUATION BY STREAMLINING COMMITTEES:

Four Task Groups recommended the program for advancement to the Regulatory Affairs Committee (RAC): (1) Administration & Enforcement, (2) Construction Codes, (3) Environmental & Flood Plain, and (4) Health. Adminstration & Enforcement suggests that the model be simplified by dividing it into segments aimed at different customers, making a more user-friendly guide. Construction Codes recommends expanding the program to coordinate document submission requirements between state and local jurisdictions. Environmental & Flood Plain suggests including flood plain, wetlands, wind, and endangered species information for federal and state regulations, as well as better coordination with agencies involved in the process, an application process linked to geographic information systems, and exploration of incentives. Health recommends automating the process by allowing one-stop entry into a standardized computer system, providing a checklist, and helping with the coordination of contractors.

RAC and the National Project Review Committee (NPRC) recommended the program for advancement as an Administration & Enforcement model.

IMPLEMENTATION:

The program is currently operating in Palm Beach County, Florida. The Palm Beach County Planning, Zoning & Building Department created evaluation committees to analyze the costs and budgeting concerns for developing a Centralized Permit Center and permitting operation. The committees were composed of government regulators and industry representatives.

The following departments involved in the adoption and implementation process included Planning, Zoning & Building; Engineering; Code Enforcement; Licensing; Health; Environmental Resources Management; Fire Safety; County Administration; and Personnel. Other organizations involved in the process include construction organizations, builders and contractors associations, real estate development agencies, and construction industry representatives.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR ASSISTANCE IN CONSIDERING THE USE OF THIS MODEL, PLEASE CONTACT:

Dominic Sims
Palm Beach County Planning, Zoning & Building
Building Division
100 Australian Avenue
W. Palm Beach, FL 33406
Phone:    (561) 233-5000
FAX:        (561) 233-5212
Email:    dsims@co.palm-beach.fl.us