The City of Dallas says a new permitting system is coming that will be more accessible, transparent, and efficient.
The cloud-based system known as DallasNow is meant to centralize the city’s development review services.
“DallasNow a new system that integrates Permitting, Planning, Platting, Inspections and Engineering, into one unified platform. DallasNow is the new land management system for the City of Dallas. The state-of-art system is a cloud-based application that integrates 15 systems, including PDOX and GIS, to enhance efficiency, transparency, and customer service,” reads a description on the Dallas City Hall webpage.
The city has struggled with permitting wait times in recent years. In 2019, the turnaround time for building permits in Dallas averaged three days. During the pandemic, however, wait times exceeded nine months at times. More recently, the city has reduced the median waiting time for approval from 300 to 189 days.
The city says the new service will help streamline processing using a centralized system and improve public transparency by giving residents real-time visibility into an application’s status. Property owners, developers, and contractors will all be able to submit, review, and track applications through the new platform.
It remains to be seen how much the new system will improve turnaround times. However, Planning & Development Deputy Director Vernon Young claims DallasNow will be a “game changer.”
“Both city staff and customers will need time to adjust, but once fully implemented, this will be a game-changer for how Dallas handles permitting, zoning and inspections,” said Young, per CultureMap Dallas.
To prepare for the new tool, the city will migrate data from the old system to the new one from April 25 to May 4. The old online services will be unavailable during that time, and in-person operations will be limited.
Ahead of the anticipated downtime, Oak Cliff Municipal Center is extending its hours from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. from April 14 to April 24 to accommodate impacted residents.