The City of Dallas saw steady commercial permit activity in November despite a slight decrease in overall submittals.
Dallas’ Development Services Department (DSD) received 246 commercial plan review submittals (CPRS) in November compared to 266 in October, according to DSD’s Performance Goals for the fiscal year 2023‐2024.
In total, DSD received 10 permit submittals for “new commercials” projects, 14 for “commercial additions,” and 222 for “commercial remodels.”
DSD’s Express Plan Review Teams, or Q-Teams, reported 64 commercial submittals during the month. A total of 11 of these same-day commercial permits were processed by DSD’s primary Q-Team, while 53 were handled by the department’s secondary Q‐Team.
The average number of days for a new commercial/remodel initial review was 11 days in November, four days fewer than the department’s specified goal but two days longer than its average time in October.
The number of certificates of occupancy (COs) issued by DSD was 181 in November, down from the 217 issued in the previous month. CO submittals were also down during the month, falling to 402 in November from 483 in October.
Additionally, 98% of building inspections were completed on time, which was up from 97% logged in the prior month.
Despite DSD performance falling mostly in line with previous months, local officials may not be satisfied considering their push for more commercial permitting, as reported by The Dallas Express.
DSD is currently scheduled to release its new Commercial Permit Activity Dashboard at the start of 2024. Upon its launch, the commercial dashboard is expected to bring more transparency to commercial permitting in Dallas.
If DSD can continue its current momentum into 2024, permitting activity may see some real improvements, ultimately making Dallas a more attractive market for developers and residents.