Permitting & Licensing Platform

Part of the worlds-biggest-software-project initiative.

An open-source, AI-native platform for online permit applications, review workflows, and inspection scheduling — built for the government agencies and applicants underserved by today's enterprise GovTech incumbents.

This project aims to deliver a modern permitting and licensing system covering application intake, multi-department workflow routing, plan review, inspection scheduling, fee processing, and code enforcement. It targets city and county building departments, licensing divisions, and state agencies that need a configurable platform without the cost and implementation overhead of legacy enterprise suites.

Why Permitting & Licensing Platform?

Enterprise incumbents (Tyler EnerGov, Oracle, Accela) range from $100,000 to $1 million+ per year for large municipalities, with implementation timelines that stretch into years.
No production-ready open-source platform exists in this category — every major product is commercial proprietary, locking governments into long-term vendor relationships.
AI-assisted plan review is only just emerging at incumbents (Clariti/CivCheck, Accela ePermitHub) and is not natively integrated into the market leader as of early 2026.
Mid-market platforms still leave gaps in advanced analytics, cross-jurisdiction interoperability, and BLDS-compliant open data publishing.
More than 68% of agencies have shifted from manual workflows to automated platforms, but smaller municipalities remain underserved by affordable, modern alternatives.

Key Features

Application Intake & Workflow

Online permit and licence application intake with configurable form fields and conditional logic
Workflow engine with step assignment, reviewer queues, status tracking, and SLA thresholds
Multi-department routing across planning, building, public works, and fire
Constituent self-service portal for submission, status tracking, document upload, and payment

Plan Review & Inspections

Digital plan review with markup tooling (Bluebeam-compatible or native)
Inspection scheduling, assignment, and results recording with mobile access
Photo documentation and offline field capability for inspectors
Re-inspection management and real-time result publishing to applicants

Licensing & Code Enforcement

Business and contractor licence lifecycle management (application, issuance, renewal, suspension)
Code enforcement case management with violation notice generation
Fee calculation engine with configurable schedules and online payment processing

AI-Assisted Capabilities

AI-powered completeness checker validating uploaded documents against permit type requirements
Natural-language eligibility assistant guiding applicants to the correct permit pathway
AI plan review automation for code compliance checking against IBC and fire code rules
Predictive inspection scheduling optimisation across inspector workloads and routes

GIS, Data & Integrations

GIS parcel lookup using an open or pluggable GIS layer
BLDS-compliant open permit data export API
Email/SMS automated notifications at each workflow milestone
Analytics dashboard for processing times, workload by department, and application volume trends

AI-Native Advantage

AI is woven through the workflow rather than bolted onto a legacy core. Computer vision pre-screens construction drawings against IBC code rules to compress plan review from weeks to days; intelligent intake validates completeness and routes applications without human triaging; ML models optimise inspector schedules across geography, complexity, and historical duration; and a conversational eligibility assistant maps plain-language project descriptions to the correct permit pathway. Anomaly detection on licence renewals automates compliance enforcement that incumbents handle manually.

Tech Stack & Deployment

The platform is designed for cloud-native deployment with self-hosting support for jurisdictions with data residency requirements. Cloud deployment accounts for 58.7% of the existing market. Architecture aligns with relevant open standards: BLDS for permit data exchange, Open311 for service request APIs, CityGML/GML for parcel and land use data, and ICC Digital Codes for inspection rule references. Government-facing interfaces target ADA, Section 504, and Section 508 accessibility compliance. Plan review integrates with Bluebeam and DigEplan; GIS layers connect via Esri-compatible and open alternatives.

Market Context

The narrow government permit software market was approximately $266 million in 2026, projected to reach $401 million by 2035 (4.7% CAGR). Broader enterprise permitting and licensing definitions place the 2025 market at $3.8–4.8 billion, growing to $8.6–10.6 billion by 2034 at roughly 9–10% CAGR. Tyler Technologies holds approximately 14% global share. Primary buyers are city and county building departments, local licensing divisions, state environmental and transportation agencies, and construction contractors seeking faster permit turnaround.

Project Status

This project is in the research and specification phase.
Contributions, feedback, and domain expertise are welcome.

Contributing

We welcome contributions from developers, domain experts, and potential users. See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

Important: All contributions must be your own original work or clearly attributed open-source material with a compatible licence. Copyright infringement and licence violations will not be tolerated and will result in immediate removal of the offending contribution. If you are unsure whether a piece of code, text, or other material is safe to contribute, open an issue and ask before submitting.

Licence

Licence to be determined. See discussion for context.