Tampa Launches New Permit Map, Allowing Residents to See Projects in Their Neighborhood
TAMPA, Fla (August 11, 2021) -- Ever wonder what’s in the works on that big construction site down the street? How big of a home is going up down the street?
The City of Tampa, as part of ongoing efforts to streamline and improve customer experience with the city’s development services, has launched a new tool that puts that information at everyone’s fingertips. Residents or contractors can easily look up active building permits citywide online.
The Active Residential/Commercial Permits Map is a geographic information system (GIS) tool that displays active building permits by location. Residents and contractors can easily zoom in to specific neighborhoods or use the search bar to type in an address to see what residential and commercial building permits are active nearby.
Community-Centric Services is one of the five, big strategic goals for Mayor Jane Castor’s Transforming Tampa’s Tomorrow vision. The new map improves the user experience from the previous system, which required individuals to log into a portal to see active permits. Now residents can simply visit tampa.gov/permit and click on the permit map—no login or special account required.
This is just one of the many steps that the City is taking to streamline development services and cut red tape. Other recent initiatives include:
- Fast pass program, which offers same-day plan reviews for many construction projects
- Standardizing permit and notice requirements
- Creating the Economic Development advisory group
- Developing the QUp Tampa program, which allows virtual appointments for permits and plan review
“Our development services team is really setting the standard for transparency and efficiency,” said City of Tampa Mayor Jane Castor. “We want to be a catalyst for growth—not stand in its way. And most of all, we want residents to feel confident that the city is actively reviewing permits, providing thorough inspections and offering excellent customer services to support safe and successful construction citywide.”
Even amid the challenges of the COVID pandemic, Tampa permitted $4.5 billion in development last year, a $1.4 billion increase over the prior year.
“Tampa is growing exponentially and it’s a really exciting time to live and work in our city,” said Tampa Administrator for Development and Economic Opportunity Carole Post. “Our goal is to streamline development services to make it as easy as possible for residents and businesses to work with the City, while still adhering to the highest standards. We’re making big changes to increase transparency, support accountability and ensure excellent customer experiences in development services.”
“The new GIS map is a really great tool that visualizes the incredible growth going on across our city”, said Construction Services Center Manager JC Hudgison. “Whether you’re curious about construction projects in your neighborhood or you want to check the status of your own permit, our goal is to make that as simple as possible.”
The Active Residential/Commercial Permits Map is available at www.tampa.gov/permit