Electronic Permits Management (e-Permits)

Infostrat developed an electronic permitting solution for Prince William County, Virginia. The solution is built on IIS, VB COM, and SQL Server database and interacts with an enterprise Oracle database associated with the application that supports land and building development in Prince William County.

Problem
When a contractor needs to apply for a residential building permit, he/she goes to the County and completes a paper application. This application is reviewed by a PWC employee and once it is approved, the data requested in the application is entered into the enterprise Oracle database. If the application is rejected, the contractor must repeat the paper-based process. This application process creates extensive paperwork and requires substantial data entry.

Solution
Infostrat developed an electronic permitting solution for the County. The solution enables contractors to apply for residential building permits online. PWC’s E-permits application focuses on residential permits and handles Limited Use, Residential Electrical, Residential Gas, Residential Plumbing, and Residential Mechanical.

The contractor can reference a master building permit while completing online application for electrical, gas, plumbing and mechanical permits. When a master building permit is referenced, the fields related to the master building permit are automatically populated in the new application thereby reducing data entry for the contractor.

Many features are built into the E-permits system to simplify the application process for contractors. These features include:

The persistent shopping cart system allows contractors to apply for multiple permits per session. Items remain in the shopping cart until contractor checks out.

• Parcel search solution to interface with the enterprise Oracle database to locate parcels by address and owner.
• Automated e-mail feedback sends confirmations and notices to contractors.
• Permit printing from within a browser. Contractors and administrators can print the permit directly from their browser.

All permits submitted online are reviewed by a PWC employee for accuracy and to confirm that the appropriate permit(s) are purchased. The data is accessed through an extensive administrative interface that includes:

• Creation of administrative accounts and user accounts. Before a contractor can use to E-permits system, the contractor must complete a paper application at the PWC permitting office. The PWC administrator inputs the data into the system and will automatically e-mail the contractor when the account is available (Fig. 3).
• Permit printing for records. Permit reviewers must keep a hard copy of the permit for the files so the E-permits system meshes with the current paper process.
• Approval and rejection of permit applications is completed by County employees online.

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