City staff publish targeted permit-review timelines after online system rollout

Morgantown— Staff briefed the Committee of the Whole on new targeted review timelines for building- and land-development permits, a transparency effort developed after the city's 2024 transition from a paper system to an online permitting portal.

Staff said they compiled inputs from supervisors across departments, solicited contractor and stakeholder feedback and drew comparables from peer jurisdictions to set minimum/maximum review ranges for approximately 55 application types, from simple residential permits to complex planned-development processes that require legal notices and hearings.

To improve user experience, staff plan to expand the permitting help page on the city website, provide downloadable and fillable forms, and operate a permit kiosk in the lobby to assist residents who cannot access or navigate the online system. The team described reviewing six months of permit-processing data and reported average issuance times from complete submittal to issuance of around six days for commercial permits and five days for residential in that sample.

Council members praised improvements and emphasized continuing efforts to clarify application materials so more complete submissions are received up front, which will help meet the targeted timelines. Staff also noted legal timelines (notice periods, planning commission processes) will lengthen some application types.