Web Development
Municipal permits site people can finish without calling the counter
Harborview published PDFs and called it digital. We built a permits site with checklists, plain-language requirements, and a status page residents will use.
The operational problem
Applicants downloaded the wrong packet, missed a signature page, and learned at the counter. Staff became the search engine.
Counter lines were a political problem. Staff overtime was a budget problem. Both came from unclear requirements.
What was breaking down
- PDF packets with overlapping names
- No status after drop-off
- Language written for planners, not homeowners
How Striders Tech approached it
We wrote requirements as checklists per permit type, in the words residents use, and showed status without a login maze.
What we built
- Permit-type pages with a single current packet
- Plain-language checklists
- Status lookup by application number
- Staff-editable requirements without a vendor ticket
Results the team can measure
- Incomplete packets down at first counter review
- Status calls replaced by lookup for standard building permits
- Staff update requirements without waiting on IT
Who this case study is for
Cities that put PDFs online and still run a full counter because residents cannot tell which packet is current.
City of Harborview operates in civic / government. The work is a custom system designed around their process, not a generic template with extra fields bolted on.
What changed after the system went live
down at first counter review
replaced by lookup for standard building permits
update requirements without waiting on IT