Town Initiative Allows For Same-Day Permits

Huntington Supervisor Chad Lupinacci met with Building Department officials in January to discuss the feasibility of issuing same-day permits for small construction projects like swimming pools and demolition.

By Connor Beach
cbeach@longislandergroup.com
 
The Town of Huntington Building Department is now able to process several permits required for small-scale construction permits in less than a day.

Supervisor Chad Lupinacci announced Monday that same-day permitting has been in effect since March for swimming pool and demolition permits. The town has already been processing plumbing permits in less than a day for the last year and a half.

In an email received last week, Lupinacci said one of his first initiatives upon taking office in January was to work with the town’s building and housing department to see which permits the town could routinely expedite.

“I asked the Building Department to look into which permits we would reasonably be able to turn around same-day, and we are now processing plumbing and demolition permits within one day, in addition to pool permits, as long as the applicant has provided all the necessary documentation,” Lupinacci said.

Building officials decided that swimming pool and demolition permits were the best choices to implement the same-day permitting initiative.

Prior to the implementation of same-day permitting in March, swimming pool permits were issued after a site plan review that could take anywhere from four to eight weeks to complete.

Demolition permits, which are required to remove any structure on residential or commercial property, also took anywhere from four to eight weeks to complete.
“A more efficient permit process directly impacts the quality of life for residents and business owners,” Lupinacci said.

Since March, 146 swimming pool permits and 124 demolition permits have been issued,  roughly half of them same-day, according to town officials. The delays were attributed to a lack of required documentation submitted by the permit applicant.

Lupinacci said the town is “examining whether we can offer same-day review for other small projects,” such as decks and sheds.