Case Study: Whatcom County Streamlines Single Family Home Permit Process By: Washington State Performance Center Summary by: GoLeanSixSigma.com

1. Case Study:
Whatcom County Streamlines
Single Family Home Permit
Process
Using Lean To Improve Permit Processes
By: Washington State Performance Center
Summary by:

2. Whatcom County
Single Family Home Permits
• Old permit review process could take up to 2 months
• a lot of time spent searching for missing
information on initial application
• New permit review process streamlined in 5 days
with Lean workshop
• county developed checklists for applicants to
review in advance

3. The New Residential Permit Process
1. Applicant submits a project description, including size & location
2. County staff screen the project & determine if any natural resource
reviews will need to take place before the application process
3. Applicant completes the application using the new checklist &
schedules an appointment to submit the application
4. At the appointment, County staff will review and either:
1. Approve application on the spot
2. Accept applications that require more analysis, or
3. Identify that the application is incomplete and needs more

4. • Process originally designed
for single family homes
• County will now use process
for other projects
• Applicants can review the
County’s checklists online
Results After 60 Days…

5. Start Improving Today.
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