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CivicPlus Dives into Digital Permitting and Licensing

The government technology company, focused on local agencies, has launched a single interface for many of the most important daily tasks that face public officials, including permitting and licensing.

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CivicPlus, which builds websites and software for local governments, has launched a new product to handle permitting, planning, zoning, business licenses, code enforcement and fire inspections through a single interface.

The tool offers “end-to-end documentation, workflow management and public engagement functionality for code enforcement officers, public works directors, community development managers, fire marshals and other local government leaders,” according to a press release about the product.

The Kansas-based company, which has private equity backing and has acquired several smaller gov tech firms in recent years, has designed the new tool to either come as a stand-alone purchase for local public agencies or to work “in tandem” with other CivicPlus products.

“CivicPlus’ mission is to help make local government work better,” said Brian Gilday, the company’s managing director for new solution, in that statement. “We realized, however, that we weren’t doing enough to support code enforcement officers, permitting directors and public works leaders with permitting, licensing and related document management and public engagement workflows.”

The company has more than 7,500 local governments as its customer base.

The new product launch represents not only the latest move in the world of government technology to help public agencies move away from paper-based processes, but the latest CivicPlus effort to gain more market share when it comes to work related to municipal tasks.

Last year, for instance, the company bought Municipal Code Corporation, better known as Municode. The company, active since the 1950s, had a long history of printing physical code books, and ended up hosting the codes of nearly 4,000 local governments online.

“There’s no going back to paper-based processes,” said Gilday. “Residents want to interact with their local leaders digitally, and busy department leaders need online tools to collect, store and route inspection, code enforcement and permit information obtained in the field by contractors and other experts.”