Permitting reform doesn't make headlines the way housing prices do. But it's one of the most direct levers we have on affordability. Today the administration published its State and Local Best Practices for Home Construction, the policy output of the White House Executive Order from March. We're proud to have helped shape both. See Francis Thumpasery's take on what these practices mean for builders and municipalities.
Two months ago, the White House signed an Executive Order to drive housing affordability. Today, the administration published a set of permitting best practices. We’re proud to have helped shape both. Here are three changes that we are especially excited about: 1) Cumulative permit approval timelines, or “Shot Clocks”. Under 60 days for right-to-build approval. Under 30 days for construction permits and inspections. For builders and contractors, predictable timelines mean projects can be scheduled, staffed, and financed with confidence. For municipalities, a defined service standard delivers clarity. 2) AI and technology for expedited permit approval. The federal government named artificial intelligence as a recommended tool for permitting modernization. Permitting today involves outdated software, paper files, and teams that haven't grown alongside permit volumes. Repetitive application preparation, triage, and review is a sweet spot for AI. It automates the tedious, high-volume parts so teams can focus on the work that actually requires human judgment. That means faster turnaround, and higher-quality review for projects that need it. 3) No retroactive application of new or changed building codes after permit submission. The rules in effect when a permit is filed should be the rules that apply throughout the project. This one is common sense and benefits builders and municipalities equally. Builders get execution certainty: no mid-project rule changes. Municipalities get cleaner, faster reviews: when the code baseline is locked at permit submission, there's no ambiguity about which version applies, driving fewer correction cycles as a result. At PermitFlow, we built our company on the belief that permitting works better when everyone in the process has clarity: builders know what's required, municipalities get what they expect, and the rules are consistent and transparent for both sides. These best practices point us in that direction.