Commerce awards $475,000 to help eight local governments speed up housing permits
OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Department of Commerce today announced $475,000 for eight local governments to speed up the review of residential building permits. The grants pay for new permitting software, digital application systems and AI tools that check whether an application is complete before it’s submitted.
Demand far exceeded the resources available. Commerce received 60 applications requesting $3.7 million total and was able to fund eight awards.
“We urgently need more housing, and we need to make it easier to build,” said Commerce Interim Director Sarah Clifthorne. “These grants will help communities speed up permitting review and help get more homes built.”
Grant recipients
Pierce County – $70,000
Snohomish County Health Department – $70,000
City of Tacoma – $70,000
City of Bellevue – $70,000
City of Lacey – $70,000
City of Ridgefield – $70,000
City of Tumwater – $35,000
City of Yakima – $20,000
A common bottleneck
Permit delays are a known bottleneck in housing production. Incomplete applications, repeated rounds of corrections and outdated software can add weeks or months to the process.
“Right now, one in four residential permit applications arrives incomplete, our inspection scheduling still runs on voicemail, and critical permit records are scattered across paper files and multiple systems,” said Vanessa Dolbee, Lacey’s director of community and economic development. “This grant could mean fewer resubmittals, shorter wait times and a much clearer path from application to permit.”
The eight grants announced today target those steps directly.
Lacey and Tumwater will move to modern digital permitting platforms that let applicants apply, track and pay for permits online.
“This support transforms our permitting process into an engine for local growth, moving builders from application to construction with predictability and speed,” said Matt Ames, IT project manager for the City of Tumwater.
Bellevue will launch applicant-facing tools that review uploaded documents and flag missing or inconsistent information before an application is submitted.
“This grant will support the City of Bellevue’s implementation of AI tools that will help permit applicants get the right information early in the process and submit fully prepared applications, reducing delays and enabling a faster, more predictable permitting experience,” said Jake Hesselgesser, Bellevue’s acting director for development services.
Other awardees will audit local development regulations, upgrade or replace aging permitting software, and assess where their permit reviews slow down. The Snohomish County Health Department, which reviews septic systems for new homes outside sewer service areas, will automate the transfer of application data from the county planning department so reviews can start sooner.
Part of a broader push for housing
Washington needs to add more than 1 million homes by 2044 to keep pace with expected population growth, according to Commerce projections. These grants are part of Commerce’s broader work to speed up housing production. Commerce awarded similar grants in 2024.
Through the Washington Accelerator for Residential Production, Commerce is bringing together practitioners and experts to recommend state actions that reduce costs and shorten timelines for new housing. Commerce is also developing guidance to help local governments offer permit-ready plans, pre-approved home designs that can move through permitting faster.
For more information, visit the Local Project Review webpage.
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