Almost every contractor knows that the permit process can be painful, difficult and time consuming.
Dealing with bureaucratic red tape, navigating requirements and paperwork that may vary from one town to another, sitting in traffic only to get stuck standing in long lines after … it's a whole world of potential headaches that contractors would prefer to avoid. They’d much rather focus on what they do: Get the job done and help the customer.
The frustration is real.
Enter iPermit, which has been working for decades to simplify the permit process in California, and has been rapidly expanding throughout the surrounding states. Now under the umbrella of the nation’s #1 inspection and engineering company (ARCXIS), iPermit will soon offer businesses a one-click permit solution in major cities across the country through a partnership with ServiceTitan, the all-in-one software solution for the trades.
iPermit began as a permit-expediting service in Los Angeles, but it now serves hundreds of cities and counties with its “start-to-finish solution.” That solution includes permit procurement, permit expediting, and HERS testing – along with many more specialized testing and compliance services. Leveraging software and efficiency analysis, iPermit has continued to lead the permit solutions space, and now promises to simplify the permit process even more through a plugin service on ServiceTitan.
“Let us do what we do best so you (in the trades) can do what you do best,” said Ian Jacoby, President of iPermit. “You install air conditioning, plumbing, whatever it is. Go do that. We’ll handle all the City Hall work.”
The applause in the background? That comes from contractors who realize they may be able to avoid fighting City Hall.
“Permitting is a headache and a pain point for contractors of all sizes,” said Kris Blankenship, ServiceTitan’s Construction Industry Advisor. “It takes a specialized skill set, knowledge, and persistence to navigate the process for every municipality where the contractor works.
“The integration with iPermit can impact contractors in so many ways. It can free up talented people who currently handle the permitting and inspection process and allow them to be refocused elsewhere in the business. It can reduce overhead. It can improve your customer experience.
“Being able to offer this service to our customers as an integration is an awesome benefit. It will streamline the process and make it easy for contractors and homeowners alike.”
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Integration makes permitting easy and fast
ServiceTitan will now offer a “Request Permit” link in each job. The link automatically creates a mirrored job within iPermit’s software and the communication between the systems means all data from the current job will be transferred.
“Businesses then have the opportunity to review that the data is right, and hit submit,” Jacoby said.
iPermit takes it from there. Its relationships with building departments leads to the fastest possible permit approvals. Building department policies vary considerably, but the vast majority of permits are pulled within 24 hours for equipment changeouts and other routine work. For more complicated projects with new construction or site plan requirements, iPermit relies on relationships with permit techs and plan checkers to ensure a quick approval with turnarounds in days rather than weeks.
“Our softwares will automatically pull in the permit from iPermit Pro and put it into ’John Smith's’ job summary; the permit will be there, and that will be another time saver for our contractors,” Jacoby said. “They won't have to save permits and upload it to ServiceTitan.
“Just give us one application that takes 10 seconds for a ServiceTitan customer. We take care of all the rest.”
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A one-stop shop, soon to be nationwide
ARCXIS (iPermit’s parent company) supports the ingenuity and smoother approach. ARCXIS is a Houston based firm that is the largest provider of inspection, design, engineering, and quality assurance services for the U.S. residential construction industry.
“We're saving you time, hassle, and money,” said Lucinda Clare Wallin, Vice President of Marketing for ARCXIS. “We’re taking the headache out of it for you.”
When ARCXIS purchased iPermit in April of 2022, iPermit retained its leadership and approach, but gained the ability to grow nationwide under the ARCXIS umbrella.
Jacoby pointed out that ARCXIS is essentially a one-stop shop for new construction support, “which we tried to be too, a one-stop shop for the permits,” he said.
Hear the applause?
“Consider that each city, county, and even town can have very different requirements,” Blankenship said. “There are licensing requirements, insurance requirements, plans and drawings that must be submitted. Inspections after the fact that must be called.
“Typically, smaller contractors can't schedule sold work until this is complete. Midsize contractors will often have a specialized person—or a team of people, depending on size—who manage the permit applications, posting of permits, and inspection process.
“Being able to affordably outsource this functionality can make contractors more nimble and increase profits. It can reduce overhead or allow staff to be redirected to other tasks.”
‘All about quality’
Jacoby and Wallin said they see the launch of ARCXIS and iPermit’s service on the ServiceTitan platform as a huge step forward in the contractor service industry.
“This fully integrated service is the first of its kind,” Blankenship said.
Consider that, because of the hassle and complexity of pulling permits and understanding all of the many requirements for compliance with energy codes in California, it’s estimated that only about 10% of contractors are currently fulfilling state permitting requirements. Which leaves customers and businesses with potential serious liability.
“Obviously we work with the companies that do things right,” Jacoby said. “I feel like the connections between iPermit and ServiceTitan are good contractors with good hearts who want good quality.
“Obviously ServiceTitan is the best quality software out there for the trades, and we pride ourselves on our software and our customer service.”
Wallin pointed out that iPermit has more than 1,000 five-star reviews.
“We're all about quality, but we're also all about making quality as easy and headache free as possible for our builders,” Wallin said. “And I think that that's what iPermit does for the contractors that they're working with.
“We’re really aligned and focused on our mission, which is basically making it easier for people to provide high-quality service while making sure they're actually checking the boxes, submitting those permits, and not just taking the easy way out.”
To learn more about iPermit please visit their ServiceTitan listing page at: https://marketplace.servicetitan.com/partner/ipermit
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ServiceTitan is a comprehensive software solution built specifically to help service companies streamline their operations, boost revenue, and substantially elevate the trajectory of their business. Our comprehensive, cloud-based platform is used by thousands of electrical, HVAC, plumbing, garage door, and chimney sweep shops across the country—and has increased their revenue by an average of 25% in just their first year with us.
