Online Permit System Implementation
Boone County, Illinois · Boone County, USA · 2021
Summary
Moving permit applications online—eliminating the requirement to appear in person during office hours, fill out paper forms, and return for corrections—produced a dramatic increase in permit filings. Much of the suppressed demand was latent: contractors and homeowners who had avoided the permit process because of inconvenience began complying. The result suggests that many permit compliance gaps are friction problems, not evasion problems.
Research question
"Does moving the building permit process online increase permit issuance and revenue?"
Methodology
Intervention
Transition from paper-based to digital permit application and tracking system
Assignment
Pre-post operational measurement
Sample size
County building permit office
Primary outcome
Permits issued per period; revenue
Effect estimate
+214% permits issued in first quarter post-launch; revenue increased to $140,000
Decision
System retained and expanded; model adopted by neighboring counties
Result
Positive
+214% permits issued in first quarter post-launch; revenue increased to $140,000
Evidence strength
Limited
Observational or pre-post design; correlation not necessarily causal.
Replication status
Partially replicated
Institution
Boone County, Illinois
Location
Boone County, USA
Year
2021
Policy area
Administrative Process
Mechanism
Simplification