Building division in South Carolina town improves with online submittals

Anyone attempting to get a construction permit in one South Carolina town over the past nine months probably found it easier than ever before, which is making life a whole lot easier for the local government as well. 

Last spring the Mount Pleasant Building Inspection Division rolled out an online submittal process for building permits and it has streamlined the way that the division does its business, according to the Moultrie News. Content management services such as the one implemented by the Building Inspection Division can do wonders for business process automation. In Mount Pleasant, communication between contractors and their clients has improved, paper usage has gone down and the turnaround time for permits has been halved. 

"We began implementing online submittals in the Planning Division three years ago," said Christiane Farrell, planning director for the division, according to the publication "The Building Inspection Division's conversion has further increased our internal and external efficiencies – we are now almost entirely paperless and are sharing information with our customers in real time and with greater ease."

The roles of the Mount Pleasant Building Inspection Division
The Building Inspection Division monitors the construction plans for all of the residential and commercial developments in the town, including additions and renovations, according to the town's website. Field inspectors are sent out to make sure that construction plans in Mount Pleasant are compliant with town regulations. 

Projects that require inspection have to exceed a price threshold set by the town. If any construction plans are made with a valuation over the limit set by the building office, or that require a structural inspection, require a building permit – which as of April is acquired through the town's website. 

"Online submittals allow us to better keep track of the high volume of permit requests while maintaining current staff levels," Lee Cave, building inspector official with the division, told the Moultrie News. "Technology allows us to streamline the process efficiently and to increase customer satisfaction." 

The plan to phase out paper from the building inspection process was driven by Christina Springston, the division's plan review coordinator. Her efforts were so effective in improving the division that she was named employee of the month for her role in implementing the online submittal process. 

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