DBI reports faster permit review after switch to 100% electronic process; recovers from Bluebeam outage

Patrick O'Riordan, director of the Department of Building Inspection, told the commission that DBI and partner departments implemented a 100% electronic in‑house plan review for in‑office permit review starting Jan. 1 as part of a multi‑department effort with the Permit Center, Digital Services, City Planning, Public Works, Fire, SFPUC and Public Health.

O'Riordan said the department launched a new permit portal, improved web pages and customer service guidance, and reworked internal concurrent‑review processes. He said early performance signals are positive: median issuance times for in‑house site permits have been reduced and DBI is reviewing both housing and commercial projects faster year‑over‑year. He said DBI will provide a comprehensive data report next month.

On IT continuity: commissioners asked about a vendor outage affecting Bluebeam, the platform used for plan review. O'Riordan said the vendor’s update caused an outage last week; DBI pivoted to accepting PDF submissions, contacted customers, used backup submission processes, and was back online within days. “We were back online last Friday,” he said and thanked staff for contingency work.

What happens next: DBI will share a detailed report on the early performance metrics from the electronic plan‑review rollout at the commission’s next meeting.