Date: April 1, 2004

City of Miami Beach Launches Online Building Permit Processing
-- Provides 24/7 Self-Service Access via the Internet --

Miami Beach, FL -- The City of Miami Beach announces the launch of an online service designed to provide increasingly higher, more efficient levels of customer service by streamlining the building permit process. Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the online building permitting gives building professionals and Miami Beach residents self-service, online access to permit information and services.

Miami Beach City Manager Jorge M. Gonzalez said, “We are delighted to offer this service as another expansion to the City’s e-government services. By expediting the permitting process for building professionals, the online permitting system helps us to fulfill our goal of providing first-class service to our community. We are proud to serve as an example for other communities in using internet technology to increase efficiency and measurably enhance the level of service to our residents and businesses.”

With a few clicks of the mouse, the online building permitting system enables users to apply for and receive a final permit electronically in minutes, without assistance from department staff. The service is currently available for trade permits (electrical, plumbing, mechanical, fire sprinkler and fire alarm permits with a valid/issued master building permit), which account for as much as 50 percent of the permits issued by Building and Fire departments.

The online system also automates the entire process of scheduling inspections. A contractor can utilize the system to access a list of required inspections for a particular permit, request a certain day for the inspections, and obtain confirmation directly from the jurisdiction’s inspection scheduling database module.

Miami Beach Building Director Phillip Azan said, “We’re very excited about the opportunity to improve our customer service capabilities and streamline the permitting process. My department is continually seeking ways to deliver effective building code services while optimally managing our internal resources and increasing our own efficiency. The online system is another tool that can effectively help us to achieve each of these goals.”

The City is implementing additional technology initiatives that will further enhance its ability to serve its customers efficiently. An Information Kiosk is now available at City Hall (first floor lobby) with live links to permitting services, property information, and the City’s and Miami-Dade County’s websites. Other initiatives will be launched within the next 90 days including wireless hand-held computers for field inspectors allowing for instant real-time update of inspection results and an automated customer flow/queuing management system that manages customer waiting periods.

For more Information, please contact Evelyn Sanchez, Building Information Systems Specialist, at 305-673-7000, extension 6751.

Click here for Online Permitting

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To request this material in accessible format, sign language interpreters, information on access for persons with disabilities, and/or any accommodation to review any document or participate in any city-sponsored proceeding, please contact 305-604-2489 (voice) or 305-673-7218 (TTY) five days in advance to initiate your request. TTY users may also call 711 (Florida Relay Service).