Dallas Builders Association: The City Has Essentially Eliminated Permitting Backlog

Little by little, the process of obtaining a building permit from the City of Dallas is becoming more efficient, and officials report the infamous backlog has essentially been eliminated. 

Changes to the permitting process have happened incrementally over the past seven months since Andrew Espinoza took the helm at Dallas Development Services. 

The hire came in the wake of a near-disastrous backlog of building permits caused by pandemic delays, an antiquated record-keeping system, and onerous processes. Builders last year reported delays of more than 10 weeks to get a permit.

Espinoza reported in December that there was no backlog or “overdue” new single-family permits in the queue. “Overdue” is the term used by Development Services for permit applications that have been held for 15 days or more, pending review. In mid-October 2022, there were 302 plans marked overdue. By December, there were zero. 

A Quiet Development

This is huge news, but it wasn’t announced from the rooftops. In fact, we came across it as we were looking up information on a minor change to the Rapid Single-Family VIP Program. Perhaps that’s why Development Services is now advertising the position of a senior public information officer. A little self-promotion might do this department some good. 

Dallas Builders Association Executive Officer Phil Crone has been critical of the permit backlog and the lack of attention it’s been given as builders lost money and took their projects to other cities. However, Crone also stepped up in an advisory capacity and worked alongside Espinoza and city leaders to offer solutions. 

“The city has, by and large, eliminated the backlog of homes in the permitting system,” Crone told CandysDirt.com. “This is a combination of the marked downturn in inbound permits, but also a direct result of the city’s focus on getting through the acute phase of the permitting crisis. [Andrew] Espinoza and his team deserve a lot of credit for getting to this milestone. Over the next several months, we need to keep working on the people, process, and policy improvements that’ll ensure this does not happen again.” 

Rapid Single-Family VIP Program

Crone said a recent upgrade to the Rapid Single-Family VIP Program is music to the ears of local builders. 

Launched in September, RSVP allows builders to jump to the front of the line to get a home construction permit on the same day the application is filed. The program had a stipulation, however, that qualifying projects must be new single-family homes no larger than 3,000 square feet. 

Espinoza announced last week that the maximum square footage requirement was eliminated. 

“Our RSVP team will accept applications and review plans for single-family dwellings of any size,” Espinoza said. “We want to ensure all Dallas home builders have the opportunity to utilize this service.”

There’s still a minor hurdle for builders seeking permits with a quick turnaround time. 

“The expedited review process will now be available for essentially every new single-family home provided it is not located in a complex [planned development], historic/conservation district, floodplain, or shared-access development,” Crone said. 

The Dallas BA executive officer said he’s pleased that the RSVP program is now open to essentially all single-family homes, provided they aren’t in a complicated zoning situation.

“From what I’ve heard, it has been a valuable service to everyone using it who has their ducks in a row and needs a quick turnaround on plan review,” Crone said. 

A minimum $200-per-hour expedited plan review fee is assessed for all qualifying projects. 

Competitive Salaries And Retention

Huge improvements have been made as Development Services reported that the residential team “worked tirelessly for several months, including weekends” to achieve its goal of eliminating the backlog. 

“We also temporarily reassigned additional staff members to assist with reviewing overdue plans, trained our third-party reviewers, and onboarded additional team members,” Espinoza said. 

While this is definitely good news, Crone said it’s important to remain vigilant so the new programs and response times are sustainable. 

“For example, one of their biggest challenges is going to be ensuring the Development Services employees who we count on are paid competitively and are incentivized for productivity and innovation,” he said. “In particular, Dallas continues to have significant problems retaining engineers. In some cases, the market is dictating that they be paid as much as assistant directors and I think that’s causing some consternation inside City Hall. Regardless, they need to meet the market where it is and ensure top talent isn’t lost to competing cities.”

The initiatives of competitive pay and employee retention were addressed during the city’s budget process and an audit conducted by Matrix Consulting Group.