Streamlining the Permit Process

When a local government wants to streamline the permit process, there are several options as to how to proceed.

• As a first step, it is useful to conduct a survey of existing permit requirements. Permit requirements evolve over time, as governments address new issues. It is common that new permit requirements are created without an analysis of the cost of compliance and of the consistency with other permit requirements. Therefore, a mapping of the permit requirements may become a somewhat surprising experience for public sector officials who have never before considered the multitude and variety of requirements the government has created over time. Moreover, it is useful to evaluate the time which is necessary to deal with permit requirements, both on the side of the company and the public administration. The amount of time necessary to fill out forms, carry them to a public agency, interact with officials, and possibly to rewrite them, and the amount of time spent in agencies to process a permit application, can serve as a base to determine the direct cost of permits. Local government may then compare the overall cost of a given permit requirement with the possible damage that might occur if this permit did not exist.
• In order to speed up permit processing, government can consider to introduce parallel processing. It is not rare that a given permit has to pass through different departments, spending a lot of time in in- and out-trays. If different departments process the permit at the same time, the overall length of the process can be cut down drastically. Another option is to install an automatic process, i.e. if a permit has not been denied within a given period of time it is automatically granted.
• Some industrialized countries are practising cost assessments of laws and regulations, something that is also applicable at the local level. It means that the cost of compliance with a regulation under discussion is calculated in advance, so that legislators can make a better informed decision.

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