The alleged ransomware attack on the City of Dallas in early May has reportedly resulted in a backlog of nearly 900 delayed construction permits.
Dallas has had over two months to restore functionality to the City’s various networks and public-facing services, but at the end of June, the recovery process was still not complete, explained Catherine Cuellar, Dallas’ communications, outreach, and marketing director, according to The Dallas Morning News.
As outlined in a memo sent to the mayor and City Council members, Dallas’ Development Services Department (DSD) still needed to approve a total of 870 delayed building permits at the end of June.
“The May 2023 ransomware attack impacted and limited staff’s ability to access internal shared drives and GIS Zoning maps which are fundamental tools in the plan review process,” the memo said, according to the DMN. “These limitations caused major delays in the issuance of permits.”
Local resident Blake Smith, 33, has been waiting more than three weeks for the City to approve his application for a new fence, as the DMN reported.
After being notified of the delays by his contractor, Smith contacted DSD for answers and was apparently told it could be another two to six weeks before approval is granted.
“They blamed the whole thing on ransomware,” Smith, who is replacing an existing chain-link fence at his South Oak Cliff home for a taller wooden one that better secures his German Shepard, told the DMN. “I didn’t know it was an issue until I called about the delay. It’s been frustrating.”
Smith isn’t the only applicant impacted by Dallas’ permit delays.
According to Cuellar, Smith’s application is one of approximately 300 permit application requests for fences, roof replacements, foundation repairs, and demolitions that were delayed by the ransomware attack.
Approval for a fence permit in Dallas-Fort Worth usually takes three days, according to Ismael Soriano of Hi-Def Exteriors, the contracting firm hired by Smith.
“I’ve never had to wait weeks for a fence permit before,” Soriano told the DMN. “We’ve already got the materials, and we’re just waiting on the city at this point.”
According to Cuellar, the 870-permit backlog is expected to be cleared by July 17.
Still, with the purported cyberattack apparently restricting DSD operations, the department received its fewest permit submissions and saw its lowest issuance rate since Dallas’ permit process was moved online in 2020, according to the latest data from the City’s residential permit activity dashboard, as reported by The Dallas Express.
In June, DSD logged a 39.5% drop in single-family permit submissions and a 52.5% drop in approvals, marking the lowest overall activity for 2023.
Permit delays have been a frequent issue in Dallas, but the sharp drop seen in June sets a multi-year record.
While DSD has taken steps in an attempt to improve the permit process, the frequent delays have become a predictable part of the development process under Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax.
Although the backlog of delayed permits is forecasted to be cleared by July 17, DSD’s work will be far from over in light of the record-low activity last month.