HONOLULU – The Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP) this week will upgrade its ePlans software, improvements that will lead to greater efficiency and transparency for building permit applicants, including answers to the age-old question, “Where’s my permit?”
In order to install the new Avolve Software 9.2, ePlans will be unavailable from the close of business Thursday through the weekend, and will be back online Monday morning. While ePlans is offline, applicants and their agents will not be able to access the system or start/submit a new permit application that requires a plan review. DPP staff also will not be able to work on applications in ePlans.
The current ePlans was launched in 2012 and has not had an upgrade since 2019. ePlans is intended to reduce the amount of paper plans submitted to the DPP, as well as simplify and improve the permit review and tracking process. But the current system is outdated and is in need of a major upgrade. This weekend’s upgrade is the first of three planned for ePlans, the last of which should be completed by October.
The DPP has been notifying and training plan makers, architects, contractors and others who use the system of the changes to ensure a smooth transition to the new ePlans program. The 9.2 version will provide significant improvements for the applicant. They include:
- Easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions for uploads and submissions.
- The ability for project team members to view the status and comments on an application. Currently, this is available only to the applicant’s agent, and comments are only available after a review cycle is completed.
- A project status tab that will include task status, time tracking of how long an application is with the applicant, DPP or another agency, and outstanding reviews. This will allow an applicant to find out, “Where’s my permit?”
- A self-service “Forgot Password” feature using email verification codes, rather than security questions.
- Applications will be moved to a cloud-hosted environment for improved access for future upgrades and integration with other DPP systems.
The ePlans upgrade is one of several planned by the DPP to further ease the permit application process and allow applicants to track their permits in real time.
