(Washington, DC) The Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) today introduced a number of new improvements to the agency’s busy Permit Center, as well as plans for additional service changes in the coming months. The changes correspond directly to customer feedback on how DCRA's Permit Center can better serve them.

“We take our commitment to service seriously, and we want to fulfill our responsibility to our customers,” said Patrick Canavan, director of DCRA. “We’ve been listening to what our users have to say about the way things were done, and we are responding with improvements that will help them get the service that they deserve.”

DCRA's Permit Center, which reviews and issues the city’s residential and commercial building permits, has made significant improvements to its services in response to feedback from residents and businesses on current procedures. The first set of improvements, already in effect, will greatly increase Permit Center customer access to services and information in person, online and by telephone.

Agency officials have been analyzing the overall permitting process and identifying the “best practices” of other jurisdictions. As a result, DCRA is introducing a series of changes that will be implemented over the coming months. While the majority of the changes will affect the overall permitting process, the agency is also planning changes to the layout and flow of the physical Permit Center.

In support of this DCRA initiative, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), which is involved in the building permit process when applications involve public space, will also provide additional on-site assistance and staff for phone consultations at the Permit Center during all extended hours.