Baltimore City Launches Auto-Issue Feature for Certain Permits

Baltimore City recently launched an auto-issue feature for simple permits, requiring no staff technical review or plan examination. 

Late last month, the Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), in coordination with the Baltimore City Information & Technology (BCIT) department, launched a new Auto-Issue feature within the City’s online permitting platform, Accela. This upgrade represents a significant milestone in the City’s continued efforts to stabilize and improve the permitting experience for residents, contractors, and businesses throughout Baltimore.

Since the City transitioned to the Accela system earlier this year, DHCD and BCIT have been working closely to address technical challenges and process bottlenecks that affected customers’ ability to submit and track permit applications. In response, the City established a Permits Incident Command Structure (PICS) — a multi-agency team dedicated to identifying and resolving issues, retraining staff, and implementing system enhancements to improve service delivery.

Early technical issue, such as delays in application intake, reviewer assignments, and system navigation, are being systematically resolved through a combination of workflow corrections, vendor support, and enhanced customer service capacity. The City’s coordinated response reduced the intake bottleneck by over 70 percent between June and July and corrected multiple process and data transfer errors.

These collective improvements have stabilized system performance and set the stage for the introduction of the Auto-Issue feature which will allow Accela to automatically issue certain “simple” permits once applicants submit complete and accurate materials. These permit types do not require City staff technical review or plan examination.  

When fully implemented, approximately 20 percent of all housing permit applications are expected to be issued instantly upon submission — eliminating wait times, reducing the need for manual intervention, and allowing City staff to focus on more complex applications.

Benefits to Baltimore permit customers include:

  • Faster Permit Issuance: Qualifying permits are approved automatically within 24 hours.
  • Reduced Backlogs: Staff time is freed to process more complex reviews faster.
  • Greater Clarity and Transparency: Automated notifications keep applicants informed at each step of their permit application.

While early challenges following Accela’s launch presented hurdles for users and staff alike, Baltimore City has remained committed to transparency and accountability. In addition to launching the Auto-Issue feature, the City has:

  • Corrected routing and workflow errors to ensure permits reach the proper reviewers.
  • Expanded the call center to improve customer response times.
  • Cleaned and standardized data to improve dashboard reporting and performance tracking.
  • Added automation to close out inspections and link licenses accurately to contractors.

Additionally, the newly created Permits Dashboard, is now available online. This tool provides daily updates on permit volumes, review times, and system performance, which is a testament to the City’s commitment to public transparency and continuous improvement.

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Housing will be front and center at the 2025 MACo Winter Conference. The session, “Housing at the Crossroads: Local Challenges in a Changing Landscape,” will offer a candid discussion of how counties navigate overlapping mandates and market realities to shape Maryland’s housing future.

MACo’s Winter Conference, “Local Leadership, Lasting Impact: Shaping What’s Next,” will be held at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Hotel in Cambridge, MD, on December 10-12, 2024.

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