Permitting

Too many cubicles, too few homes spur incentives to convert offices to housing

States are stepping in with tax breaks and zoning changes to help replace the unwanted cubicle farms with much-needed housing.

  • By Tim Henderson, Stateline

Government software that shines: Solar permitting’s bright future in 2024

COMMENTARY | By automating the permitting process for rooftop solar, cities and counties can save time and money for their building departments and homeowners.

  • By Mark Rodriguez

Plans to install EV charging stations are about to run into an ugly wall of permitting and utility delays

COMMENTARY | We must overhaul dysfunctional municipal permitting systems and utility connection processes if we expect to install close to 7 million electric vehicle charging stations by 2035.

  • By Catherine Geanuracos

‘I felt so naughty’: New open carry alcohol laws boost downtowns

Some places see promise in areas allowing visitors to shop, sip and stroll.

  • By Kevin Hardy , Stateline

US water infrastructure ‘unsustainable’ amid rapidly evolving crisis, report warns

The United States is facing an unsustainable demand for water and lacks the security posture to defend the nation’s water systems from emerging threats, according to a new report.

  • By Chris Riotta

Feds announce funds for renewable energy facility planning

State and local governments can apply for funds to support the complex decision-making processes around large-scale renewable energy planning, siting and permitting.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

Mayors Oppose a GOP Bill to Speed Up Broadband Permitting

The proposal would put a “shot clock” on permit approvals in an effort to streamline the process to build broadband around the country. But mayors say it preempts their ability to make crucial construction decisions.

  • By Kery Murakami

County sees huge performance gains when permitting moves to the cloud

Cloud-based permitting speeds workflow for staff, eases pressure on IT and gives customers automatic permitting and virtual inspections options.

  • By Stephanie Kanowitz

Why a Power Line Project Can Take 14 Years to Permit

Amid a push to greatly expand the nation’s clean energy infrastructure, key grid upgrades require approvals that can take years to complete. Can regulators strike the right balance between speed and environmental protection?

  • By Kery Murakami

Clash Over Infrastructure Permitting Heats Up on Capitol Hill

Despite objections from fellow Democrats, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says he will press ahead with a deal to attach an overhaul of energy project permitting to a must-pass spending bill. Meanwhile, Republicans have a plan of their own.

  • By Kery Murakami

A State Provides an Online Option for Driver's License Tests

Prospective drivers in Minnesota can now take their learner's permit knowledge test online, one of several state initiatives deployed during the coronavirus pandemic.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

How One City Went Virtual In 30 Days

The southern California city of El Cajon moved to paperless permitting in just under a month, a project that had originally been expected to take a year.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram
Featured eBooks
The State of Trust in Government
Cybersecurity in State and Local Government
Building Data Literacy in the State and Local Workforce

Streamlining Local Health Department Inspections and Permitting

No two agencies are alike, which made designing a software solution for preconfigured forms and procedures difficult in the past.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

Mayors Eye Two-Pronged Attack on FCC’s Preemptive 5G Order

The latest effort is a new bill in Congress that would overturn the agency on its rule that strictly limits how much local governments can charge providers and how long officials can take to process applications.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

Senators Seek to Rein in State Power Over Key Environmental Permit

A lawyer with the Natural Resources Defense Council said the GOP-backed legislation threatens to “neuter the rights of all 50 states to protect their rivers, streams and coastal waters.”

  • By Bill Lucia

5G Faceoff on Capitol Hill

Localities want more of a say in broadband policymaking. The U.S. wireless industry wants to win its race with China.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

For Cities, Creativity and Convergence Need to Be the Norm

According to the former mayors of Albuquerque and Philadelphia: “It’s our job to make SXSW live on all year long. Here’s why.”

  • By Richard J. Berry and Michael A. Nutter

Uncertainty Around Infrastructure Permitting Cited as a Difficulty for the Energy Sector

In an address, American Petroleum Institute President and CEO Jack Gerard also praised the Trump administration’s recent decision to expand offshore drilling on the outer continental shelf.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

Environmental Review Law Faces GOP Scrutiny in U.S. House

“Congress needs to act," said U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop, as he discussed the National Environmental Policy Act on Wednesday.

  • By Bill Lucia

More Tidbits Surface on Elon Musk’s Advancing Tunneling Operation

Making his vision for a system of near-frictionless transport tubes a reality still requires things like permitting.

  • By John Tomasic

Are Trump’s Efforts to Streamline Infrastructure Permitting Actually Redundant?

The president has promised to move ahead with “massive permit reform.” But some of his actions may be having the “exact opposite result of what seems to have been intended.”

  • By Bill Lucia