County streamlines permitting

Contractors and developers as well as mom-and-pop builders of home projects are the target customers for Washoe County's Permits Plus Zone, a new one-stop shop for building permits and zoning variances.

The zone consolidates the process that previously sent people shuttling between individual departments. "Our goal was to make the process seamless," says Don Jeppson, building and safety officer.

Contractors once had to drive over to Evans Avenue for fire permits or Energy Way for water issues.

Developers, known to county staff as "frequent fliers," know the process and know the people, says Adrian Freund, director of community development.

But individual mom-and-pop builders now will save frustration because they will have a single point of contact. They'll also get a case worker who's prepared to stay with the project throughout the permitting process.

Ease of use starts in the parking lot at the Washoe County Administrative Complex on E. Ninth Street, where bright yellow signage directs people upstairs to a display rack of 40 cards, color-coded per project type. For example, the interior improvements card directs a customer to start with the building and safety department.

Within a year, people will be able to conduct most permit business via the Web site, says Jeppson. Capabilities will come in phases. In May, people can check policies and download handouts. Then comes the ability to check status of permits and inspections, pay fees with credit cards, and eventually submit drawings electronically, which can then be sent among agencies.

The update was two years in the process, says Freund, who notes "A lot of the effort went into our customer-service training."

Some 72 hours of training taught county employees how to deal with people on the phone and how to deal with difficult customers.

In early research in preparation for the program, developers said they wanted county departments to communicate so that customers weren't stuck between departmental disagreements. The solution was a conflict resolution process.

And, with centralized plan review functions, items once relegated to the separate health department were transferred to building and safety.

The ability to conduct business in one place, rather than ship the paperwork all over the place, made things easier for the county as well, says Freund.

"Now plans can be approved within a four-hour window. We feel we've greatly improved within the last four years," he says.

But the county is still open to suggestions. Those wanting a say in the process can participate in the developer services advisory committee; for meeting notices, subscribe at wdcroarki@mail.co.washoe.nv.us