3 Technology Solutions That Solve Building Department's Bottlenecks

Your permit applications are piling up. Inspection requests exceed capacity. Plan reviews create delays that frustrate everyone. Sound familiar?

Across the country, building departments are facing the same challenge: growing demand, limited staff, and tighter timelines.

The good news? Technology is changing that story.  

Here’s how three connected tools are helping departments like yours work smarter, move faster, and make the most of every hour.

Remote Video Inspections: Handle Follow-Ups Without the Drive Time

Follow-up inspections eat up your inspectors' days. A quick reinspection can take an hour with travel. Multiply that by several appointments, and your team can't keep up.

Remote Video Inspections (RVI) offer a better way. Your inspector sends an SMS link at the scheduled time. No apps. No logins. The inspection happens live via video.

What this solves: 

• Minimize wait times with same-day scheduling
• Keep inspectors focused on complex, first-time inspections
• Maintain accuracy with geolocation verification

RVI complements your in-person inspections, freeing your team to focus where they're needed most.

Electronic Permitting: Stop Answering the Same Status Questions

If your staff spends half the day fielding status calls, you're not alone. Most departments juggle disconnected systems that make real-time updates impossible.

CommunityCore connects your workflow in one system. When an inspector updates a status in the field, everyone sees it instantly. Contractors submit permits online. Your system routes them automatically. Inspectors complete work on mobile devices. Residents track status 24/7.

No phone tag. No manual handoffs. No confusion.

What this solves: 

• Residents check status themselves, reducing office calls
• Inspectors work offline, sync automatically
• Leadership gets real-time visibility without manual reports

Most departments see a dramatic drop in status calls within the first month.

National Plan Review: Clear Your Queue Without Hiring

Plan review backlogs stall developments and delay permit revenue. Hiring a full-time reviewer takes months and comes with long-term budget commitments.

National Plan Review (NPR) gives you certified expertise when you need it, without permanent overhead. SAFEbuilt provides reviewers familiar with your local codes who integrate with your workflow and scale based on demand.

What this solves: 

• Eliminate backlogs fast — reviews start within days
• Access specialized expertise across all disciplines
• Scale capacity up or down with permit volume

Every reviewer is deeply immersed in your local codes, working as an extension of your team.

Turn Technology Into Real Capacity

Remote Video Inspections free inspectors from routine travel. Electronic permitting eliminates manual back-and-forth. National Plan Review clears backlogs without fixed staffing costs.

Used strategically, these tools help you deliver faster, more transparent service with the resources you already have.

Whether you're dealing with one of these pressure points or all three, we can help you figure out the right approach for your department.