City of Lockport

In building departments across the country, the push toward digital transformation is unmistakable. Online permitting portals, electronic plan review, GIS integrations, and mobile inspection apps promise faster turnaround times and improved transparency. Yet many departments still rely, at least in part, on paper processes.

That has been the case in Lockport, a town of 26,000 in Illinois, where I oversee a staff of four handling solely Building Division items and three others that support their efforts in planning and development engineering.

Rather than viewing paper and digital processes as opposing forces, we have benefited most from striking a thoughtful balance between the two. Make no mistake, it is a struggle to find that balance and requires a keen understanding of the customer—whether contractor, developer or resident and just as important, the staff executing the work.

Digital systems offer undeniable efficiencies. For those comfortable with it, online application portals allow contractors, architects, and homeowners to submit permits without traveling to city hall. Electronic plan review platforms enable simultaneous review by multiple disciplines. Automated workflow tracking provides real-time status updates. Digital records are searchable, easily backed up, and can be integrated with other departments.

The benefits of prioritizing digital processes are particularly evident in high-volume departments. Faster intake and routing can significantly reduce permit turnaround times. Electronic markups eliminate the need to reprint large plan sets. Mobile inspection tools allow inspectors to complete reports in the field, attach photos, and sync data immediately.

Pursuing an exclusively digital environment, however, presents challenges. If your community is like mine, mid-sized, the permit volume is high but manageable, the customers are mostly contractors and residents and the staff has proven experience in making paper highly efficient, the value of those benefits can be less. Smaller municipalities may struggle with the upfront investment cost and IT support capacity.

Equally important is the human factor. Not all applicants are equally comfortable with technology. Small contractors, older property owners, or residents without reliable internet access may find fully digital systems intimidating or inaccessible. If a department eliminates paper options too quickly, or entirely, it risks creating barriers to service.

Rather than asking whether paper or digital is superior, building departments should ask how each method can support their operational goals and create a positive work environment.

Paper processes offer advantages in certain contexts, especially if you have a seasoned staff. Manual processes give my Permit Techs the ability to develop relationships with our customers, which can be invaluable in subsequent submittals or inspection requests. Printed plans allow reviewers to flip between sheets and visually compare details at full scale. My inspectors find that physical documents are easier to reference on job sites where connectivity is inconsistent or where contractors do not have access to technology. For departments that have relied on paper for decades, institutional knowledge and workflow habits are often built around physical files.

Yet overreliance on paper carries its own drawbacks. Manual data entry increases the risk of errors or inconsistency, something that forced us to create strict guidelines for inputting information. Storage rooms fill with archived plans, requiring ongoing management. Retrieving older records, making copies or scans can be time-consuming, particularly when responding to public records requests.

The key, therefore, lies in intentional integration rather than wholesale replacement.

We decided to allow digital submission for large commercial projects with a minimum number of paper copies and for online “over the counter” submittals and paper intake options for smaller residential permits. Over time, we took the slower winters to digitize archived records gradually so that we have digital copies. We researched digital inspections, but could not get to the level of service that our customers have come to expect because of the cold nature of email and spending less time building relationships with contractors and residents in the field.

Ultimately, the mission of a building department is to safeguard public health, safety, and welfare while providing efficient, equitable service. Technology is a powerful tool in achieving that mission, but it is not a cure-all. Paper processes, though traditional, offer reliability and accessibility in certain circumstances and truly help build relationships between my permit technicians and inspectors with the contractors and residents we serve every day.

Rather than asking whether paper or digital is superior, building departments should ask how each method can support their operational goals and create a positive work environment. By thoughtfully blending the strengths of both, departments can enhance efficiency, manage risk, and build resilience. In doing so, they position themselves not just as regulators, but as responsive, modern public service organizations prepared to meet the evolving needs of their communities.