Permits and Zoning
- Aug 13
- 2 min read
Permits and zoning are usually treated as two different worlds. They’re different departments, with different systems, and different people you'd call with a question. But they're really answering the same thing: what's happening on this property, and where is it headed.
Here at UrbanForm, we’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, working closely with our government customers to bring information that's long been kept in silos together in one place. It's all intertwined; construction, planning, land development, housing, and ultimately, economic development, but making that visible has always been surprisingly difficult.
A better view, on both sides of the counter
That's the idea behind a new look at permit statistics we're rolling out for our municipal and government partners. For example, communities on Oregon's south coast, including the City of Coos Bay, the City of North Bend, and Coos County, it means a clear, current view of:
Permit activity over time, across the last 30 days, the last 30 to 90 days, and the year to date
Application status, how many permits have been applied for and how many have been issued
Permit type, residential, public works, and beyond, tracked across that same timeline
Every number traces back to its source, the same principle behind our zoning analysis: deterministic, parcel-level, and traceable to the source behind every figure. We're extending that same standard of clarity to permit data, so staff and the public are working from the same honest picture instead of two different ones.
That's really the goal. Not just transparency for its own sake, but a better view for everyone standing on either side of the counter, the planner pulling the data and the resident trying to understand what's possible on their property.
Why we're doing this
This is a small piece of a much bigger effort. We've been fortunate to work with jurisdictions across Oregon who've trusted us with exactly this kind of problem, and we're hoping to keep giving back in excess of what we've been given.
Permit and zoning information have been apart for a long time. We think putting them to work together, visibly and traceably, is one of the more useful things we can do for the communities we serve.
What's next
This is just the beginning. We have a lot more in progress and we're excited to share it as it's ready. If a clearer, shared view into permit and zoning activity would help your jurisdiction, we'd love to talk.
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