City begins testing AI permitting software designed to reduce cost and save time when building housing
San José, Calif. – The City of San José is harnessing Artificial Intelligence to tackle the housing crisis by making it faster and easier to get a building permit.
“It’s time to bring permitting into the 21st century,” said San José Mayor Matt Mahan. “Our residents and our city planners need to be able to move faster and build better — and here in the Capital of AI, we believe technology can help. I’m looking forward to seeing the results of this pilot and rolling it out for residents next year.”
More than 90% of Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) applications in San José are sent back to the customer for missing information, requiring additional rounds of review and often slowing the permitting process down by weeks. The City’s Planning, Building and Code Enforcement Department (PBCE) is piloting AI software that could allow customers to “pre-check” applications before they are submitted. By quickly identifying missing or incomplete information, the tool could reduce costly delays, speed up approvals, and deliver a higher level of customer service for residents and builders alike. It is also being tested to ease the workload for city staff, freeing up hours each week that can be spent serving residents instead of sorting through incomplete applications. This initial testing phase will be completed internally by city staff who will use the software in tandem as they manually check applications.
“As a City, we continually strive to enhance the ways we serve the community,” said San José City Manager Jennifer Maguire. “Using new technology and finding innovative solutions to help families and businesses thrive is core to who we are.”
City staff is currently testing software from industry-leader CivCheck within its prescreening process and may work with more AI companies in the future. After internal testing is complete this fall, the City could roll out the enhanced process to ADU applicants as early as next year. If proven successful, the customer readiness AI tool could be extended to single-family home permitting in the future, positioning the City to approve plans for building quickly in case of disasters like the Maui and LA Fires.
“This is an important experiment in the feasibility of AI to better serve our customers and goals for building in San José,” said Chris Burton, Director of PBCE in the City of San José. “We are dedicated to taking any guesswork out of the permitting process, helping builders and residents move quickly with clarity and confidence.”
The AI service is one of many ways PBCE is streamlining the building process. The department offers dozens of preapproved ADU plans that may qualify for same-day permits, has certified over 200 building professionals through its Best Prepared Designer program, and provides checklists and a building fee estimator to help anyone enhancing their property in San José.
This AI pilot is part of San José’s broader effort to put cutting-edge technology to work across city government. Recent deployments of pilots include bus route optimization by the Department of Transportation, object detection tools within the Information Technology Department, and a citywide network of Automated License Plate Readers managed by the Police Department. At the same time, San José is investing in its own workforce, offering AI upskilling programs that have already saved thousands of dollars and hundreds of staff hours.
