Permit pre-check for cities & counties
Clear more permits with the staff you already have.
Your reviewers lose hours to applications that bounce for fixable errors. PermitPal checks each application against your adopted code before it reaches your counter, with the section cited on every flag, so your team spends its time on complete submissions and still makes every final call. We start where our data runs deepest, in sign permits, and add more permit types with your city.
Starts with sign permitsThe category we've structured deepest; more permit types scoped with your city.
Free 20-minute call. We'll bring a pre-check built on your city's own code.
City of Exampleville · Permit Pre-Check
4 checks run against the adopted codeYour project
Example: sign permitSite and zoning
Determined from the address
- Address
- 1200 Example Ave
- Zoning district
- B-2, General Business
- Overlay
- Downtown Design Overlay
- Street frontage
- Main St (arterial)
- Required front setback
- 10 ft
Proposed sign
Entered by the applicant
- Type
- Wall sign
- Sign area
- 42 sq ft
- Sign height
- 14 ft
- Illumination
- Internal LED
- Setback provided
- 6 ft
Pre-check results
- Pass
Sign area within limit
§14.04.230(b) · Maximum sign area
- Pass
Illumination type permitted
§14.04.250 · Illuminated signs
- Pass
Wall sign allowed in Downtown Design Overlay
§14.06.120 · Overlay sign standards
- Needs attention
Setback below 10 ft minimum
§14.04.310 · Front setback: 6 ft provided, 10 ft required
How to fix: place the sign at least 10 ft from the front property line, then re-check.
Works alongside your current permit system
Your system and your data stay in place. PermitPal adds the pre-check step in front of them.
Where review time goes
Most permitting teams are asked to clear more volume with the staff they have. The most addressable drain on that capacity is reviewer time spent on applications that bounce and come back. Remove those round trips and the queue itself gets shorter: fewer resubmittals, fewer second reviews, and faster permits without adding staff.
Mistakes bounce applications for weeks
A wrong measurement or a missing setback sends an application back. The applicant resubmits days later, and the review queue starts over.
Staff time goes to re-reviews
Every resubmittal starts another full review cycle. The same reviewer covers the same ground while new applications wait in the queue.
Applicants call for answers
Requirements buried in a 300-page zoning PDF end up as phone calls to your front counter.
How it works
For applicants
1
Start from your city website
The applicant opens a guided intake linked from your permit page.
2
Answer plain-language questions
Project type and dimensions, in plain words. PermitPal fills in the site's zoning details from the address. No code knowledge needed.
3
Fix issues before submitting
PermitPal flags problems against your adopted code and cites the exact section. The applicant corrects them on the spot.
1 issue to fix before you submit
Setback below 10 ft minimum
Needs attentionYour sign sits 6 ft from the front property line. In District B-2, freestanding and wall signs must be set back at least 10 ft.
Fix and re-check“No sign shall be located within ten (10) feet of any street right-of-way or property line.”
Informational pre-check. City staff make the final determination.
For staff
4
Receive complete applications
Applications arrive pre-checked against the rules you enforce.
5
Review with citations
Each application comes with a plain-language summary linked to the adopted sections it was checked against.
6
Make the determination
Your staff decides every application. PermitPal checks are informational only.
Staff review · City of Exampleville
Application SP-2026-0142 · Wall sign, 1200 Example Ave
| Check | Status | Cited section | Reviewed by staff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sign area within limit | Pass | §14.04.230(b)View cited section | Reviewed by staff |
| Illumination type permitted | Pass | §14.04.250View cited section | Reviewed by staff |
| Wall sign allowed in Downtown Design Overlay | Pass | §14.06.120View cited section | Reviewed by staff |
| Setback below 10 ft minimum | Needs attention | §14.04.310View cited section | Awaiting staff review |
Why PermitPal
The hard part is already done
The hard part of a pre-check is turning adopted code into rules a computer can check. We've already done that across 7,000+ US jurisdictions; others configure each city by hand. Most cities go live in weeks with no data project.
Every flag cites the code
Staff can open the adopted section behind any flag in one click.
Staff make every decision
Final determinations stay with your reviewers. PermitPal checks applications. It does not approve them.
It starts from the address. PermitPal resolves each site's zoning context automatically: the district, any overlays, the street classification, and the setbacks that apply. That same foundation is what lets the pre-check expand to more permit types and, in time, reach toward site plan and land development review.
A pilot your city manager can sign
Scoped to fit inside discretionary purchasing limits.
- One permit type. Most cities start with signs.
- Hosted by PermitPal. Nothing for IT to install.
- 60 to 90 days, with success metrics you set with us.
- Free, or priced within discretionary purchasing limits.
- Your staff keep final say on every application.
See a pre-check built on your city's code
Tell us about your process. We'll come to the first call with a working example from your adopted ordinances.
Questions city staff ask us
- Does this replace our permit system?
- No. PermitPal adds a pre-check step before applications reach your existing system, whether that is Accela, Tyler, OpenGov, Clariti, or a PDF form at the counter.
- Which permit types does this cover?
- We start where our data runs deepest, in sign permits. The underlying engine already structures adopted ordinance data across 7,000+ US jurisdictions, so additional permit types are scoped with your city during the pilot rather than built from scratch.
- Who makes the final determination?
- Your staff, always. PermitPal checks are informational. Final compliance determinations remain with your qualified reviewers.
- How accurate is it?
- Every flag links to the adopted code section it came from, so staff verify in one click. We don't publish blanket accuracy claims because every jurisdiction's code reads differently.
- What about security and our data?
- We never train models on your city’s data. A pilot needs no integration and collects minimal applicant information. We complete your vendor security questionnaire during scoping.
- What does it cost?
- Pilots are free or priced within discretionary purchasing limits. Ongoing pricing scales with city size and permit volume, at a fraction of the cost of a new permit system.
Talk with us
20 minutes. We'll bring a pre-check built on your city's own code.
Every example cites the adopted code section it came from. Pre-checks are informational only; your staff make the final determination.