Q&A with RI Commerce Corp: The Ease of E-Permitting

The Ease of E-Permitting
By Liz Tanner
Executive Vice President- Client Services
Rhode Island Commerce Corporation 
          
Q. What is all this e-Permitting stuff about?
 
A. The Rhode Island Statewide e-Permitting Initiative strives to offer an effective, affordable, user designed platform for online permitting. Some of the features of the system include:

• Convenient self-service: Applications and payments may be submitted online at any time of the day, and permits may be received electronically and printed out as soon as they are  approved.
• Transparency: Processing status is tracked step-by-step, giving applicants visibility into not only where their application is in the process, but the name of the actual employee working on it.
• Contractor validation: Applicants and government officials won't need to question the validity of licensed/registered     professional credentials. The system validates against databases at the Contractors Registration Board, Department of Labor and Training, Department of Business Regulation and Department of Health.
•  Workload Management: Governmental bodies can collect   information related to a permit application in one place, track progress across multiple applications simultaneously, and assign tasks to achieve higher levels of efficiency and service for the public.
• Collaboration and Consistency: The State has partnered with Rhode Island municipalities to design and implement the same platform for online permitting, providing a more comprehensive solution and allowing both levels of government to benefit from economies of scale both in system cost and implementation timelines.

 
Are you interested in learning more about e-Permitting for your community? Please contact Shawn Selleck at shawn.selleck@ode.ri.gov or visit www.permits.ri.gov.

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