It’s a development that is not unique to the county, but rather, is indicative of a broader trend among local jurisdictions. Governments are increasingly using AI-powered tools to fast-track the permitting process, with some citing faster permitting as a solution to address the housing crisis. In some locations, officials argue faster permitting can even attract new businesses.
In Pueblo County, staff have historically had to manually review applications for building permits, looking for errors or instances of non-compliance. This can be time-consuming for both county staff and residents, requiring a back-and-forth between applicants and Building Division staff.
Blitz AI will automate this process, finding missing information or submission errors to help applicants complete their forms correctly. The company will also serve as an AI assistant to county officials, as they check submissions against local and state building codes to ensure compliance.
The initiative is expected to significantly reduce the time of the permit cycle and free up county staff for community development work.
“By identifying issues up front and automating early-stage review, we expect to save applicants weeks in the plan review process — translating to real savings in both time and money,” Carmen Howard, director of the county’s Planning and Development department, said in a statement.
Blitz AI will integrate into the county’s existing OpenGov permitting system, which will allow it to operate within existing workflows; this is expected to enable its use with minimal changes to the permitting process.
Permitting delays are “not inevitable,” Blitz AI CEO Arjun Choudhary said in a statement: “Local governments can modernize permanent review without adding burden to staff or applicants. … We invite jurisdictions across the country to engage with solutions that deliver measurable, real-world results.”
This partnership marks the latest in a nationwide trend of local governments leveraging AI tools in permitting.
In his city, AI helps transform a process that has “historically been a bureaucratic pain point” into a “driver of growth,” Lancaster, Calif., Mayor R. Rex Parris said via email.
The permitting process in Louisville, Ky., has traditionally been prone to delays, but Mayor Craig Greenberg said in a statement that he believes AI can help officials better use government data to address those delays and save time and money.
Lebanon, N.H., and Gainesville, Fla., adopted AutoReview.AI technology in 2024 to save employees time. As the company CEO Rob Christy told Government Technology at the time, “The tasks that can be automated, should be.”
