Jefferson County Planning & Zoning has been looking to find ways to further improve front-counter service for building permit review and zoning permit issuance. To that end, new digital signature pads have been installed that, along with the permit and development application software, can now assist customers more efficiently.

Instead of filling out that handwritten application, a customer checks in with a front counter receptionist. Essential information specific to the permit is requested (i.e. property address, type of request, zoning, snow and wind load, etc.) and specific fields on the electronic application are filled in. Once completed, a finalized application is generated and the applicant can sign the document – inserting his or her signature onto the electronic application. The document can then be stored electronically and printed out for the applicant, along with a permit number and receipt associated with any applicable fees.

The current way of doing business requires a citizen to fill out a one- to two-page form with multiple boxes and questions and then wait to be assisted by a planner or permit technician. As a result, these applications can have fields that have incorrect responses and result in potential delays during the permit review process.

Customer’s wait times have been cut in half and applicants can be assured that their application will be filled out correctly and processed accordingly. With the old process, customers would have to spend several minutes completing an application and then may have to wait an additional five to seven minutes before being helped.

Our new paperless application system makes us the first county in the Denver Metro area to offer such a service and we look forward to improving customers’ experiences at Jefferson County. For more information, please contact Planning & Zoning at 303-271-8700 or through our Web site.