Home › Announcements ›

Sacramento County, Calif., Launches 24/7 Online Access to Permitting, Inspection Process

Posted Sep 28 2009

This announcement was posted by:
Accela, Inc.

Time is money for building contractors, who often can’t afford the time to navigate the web of government permit processes – but can’t afford not to. Yet, some regional governments are discovering that a private-sector approach of putting customer needs first, delivering ‘round-the-clock access, and leveraging technology to do more with fewer resources is a winning strategy. Sacramento County’s new Citizen Access Portal allows contractors to apply for and track the status of permits online. This technology is allowing a department that has experienced numerous budget cuts to maintain efficient services – and to help contractors deliver results for their own customers.

Sacramento County, Calif., Launches 24/7 Online Access to Permitting, Inspection Process with Accela Software

Building Inspection Division’s new Citizen Access portal enables contractor self-service from start to finish

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 25, 2009 – Accela, Inc. today announced that Sacramento County has launched its deployment of Accela Citizen Access™ Web-based software for the County’s Building Inspection Division, providing licensed contractors with the ability to submit, pay for, and track the status of their permit applications online, anytime of the day or night. The Division serves the fast-growing unincorporated areas of Sacramento County – home to nearly 40 percent of the County’s 1.4 million residents – with plan review, building permit and field inspection services, and issues more than 18,000 permits every year.

The Division’s new Citizen Access web pages allow contractors who have created a user account to select the type of permit they require, identify the associated inspection that may be needed, choose an inspection date, and provide detailed comments for the inspector. After inspections, customers can track approval status online through to completion.

Accela Citizen Access provides real-time, direct access via the Internet to agency permit and land management activities. Online permit applications can be configured to allow citizens and businesses access to apply and pay for permits, schedule inspections, check the status of a permit or inspection, or print an approved permit directly from the Internet 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“We understand that people expect to do business online, and we hope to continue to expand these online services,” said Steve Pedretti, Director of Sacramento County Engineering. “We also know that time is money for professional contractors, who juggle numerous projects and need instant access to the status of their projects. Adding online self-services to our existing public counter operations will help us serve our customers better.”

“Regional governments from coast to coast are being challenged as never before,” noted Maury Blackman, CEO and President of Accela. “The most successful agencies will be those that reinvented their approaches and embraced new strategies. Sacramento County is embracing a private-sector approach: everyone wins when customers are empowered.”

About Sacramento County
Sacramento County is California’s eighth most populous, centered around the state capital of Sacramento and encompassing 994-square miles in the middle of the 400-mile long Central Valley, the state’s prime agricultural region. The County is among hundreds of California jurisdictions using Accela solutions. More information on the County can be found at: www.saccounty.net. Full details of online building inspection services can be found at: www.bldginspection.org.

About Accela
Accela Inc. is the leading provider of Web-based and mobile software applications that make government services available 24/7. With more than 500 deployments across the US and overseas, Accela software manages more types of government transactions than any other solution. Accela’s solutions automate licensing, permit, case, and asset management processes for local, state, and federal government agencies of all sizes. Backed by 30 years of development, Accela products and services empower agencies to increase efficiencies, reduce workload, and provide the public with more convenient access to government services. Accela is headquartered in San Ramon, Calif., with offices in Visalia, Calif.; Sandy, Utah; Melbourne, Australia; Abu Dhabi; and Beijing. Additional information can be found at: www.accela.com.

Accela Citizen Access is a trademark, of Accela, Inc.

Bookmark and Share
“
And many of us – the majority, in fact – find ourselves living in a drive-only landscape, where we must burn gas even to reach a transit stop, if one exists.
”