Pacific Northwest Tech Hub, King County, WA, Reveals Over 80% Contractor Adoption to Move Permitting Online with the Accela Civic Platform

SAN RAMON, Calif., June 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Accela, the leading provider of cloud-based productivity and civic engagement solutions for government, today released the latest adoption statistics for King County's online mechanical permitting capability within the Accela Land Management solution on the Accela Civic Platform. Since launching the online capability in March, King County has seen over 80% of area contractors apply for mechanical permits online versus time-costly, in-person visits, leading to immediate permit issuance and better overall service delivery. About one-third of the permits issued by the King County Department of Permitting and Environmental Review are now issued online via the online permitting portal.

Land Management provides 24-hour self-service tools, making the entire permitting process accessible and intuitive while also streamlining the payment process. Through the online portal, contractors now have complete insight into the permitting process -- providing an alternative way for delivering accurate and timely documents.

"Civic technology continues to create inroads for local governments to better connect with their constituents and deliver services the way they are demanding-- online and from the convenience of mobile devices. King County is an excellent example of what citizens expect from their municipalities," said Maury Blackman, CEO and President of Accela. "Most every other industry has moved business online and the time has come for local governments to do the same. By shifting its mechanical permitting online, King County has been able to improve a core service across the board-- for the County, its client contractors and citizens."

"As one of the fastest growing counties in the country, and the tech epicenter for the Pacific Northwest, King County is dedicated to offering all permitting services online," said John Starbard, Director of the King County Department of Permitting and Environmental Review. "Partnering closely with Accela to implement powerful software tools has enabled us to better keep up with the expectations of our tech-savvy customers and we are delighted to see the quick adoption of the technology by the contractors we serve."

Since its adoption, the consensus from contractors using the permitting portal has been overwhelmingly positive. Contractors find the system easy to use and are pleased that permits are issued instantly without an added convenience fee. The Department of Permitting and Environmental Review in King County has seen an adoption rate that validates the County's continued partnership with Accela.

"Our installers no longer need drive to the King County permitting department to pull mechanical permits, saving valuable time previously spent on the roads and waiting in an office," said Janette Wells, permit coordinator at MM Comfort Systems, which obtains nearly 3,000 permits per year to make homes more energy efficient. "Through the easy-to-use online portal, I receive permits instantly at my desk."

For more information on the Accela's solutions visit www.accela.com/solutions.

About Accela

Accela provides a platform of cloud-based productivity and civic engagement solutions to governments of all sizes worldwide. The Accela Civic Platform includes solutions to cost-effectively manage critical enterprise functions, and mobile apps to foster greater citizen engagement. From asset, land and legislative management to licensing, finance, environmental health and more, Accela's software drives efficiency for more than 2,200 governments, including nearly 90 percent of America's 50 largest cities. The Company was named Government Technology's GovTech100 in 2016, a distinction of the top 100 companies focused on government customers. Accela is headquartered in San Ramon, California, with offices in San Francisco, New York, Boston, Portland, Melbourne and Dubai. For more information, visit www.accela.com.

For more information:
Rachel Fukaya
Barokas PR for Accela
(831) 229-5761
[email protected]

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SOURCE Accela

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