When regional development activity increased in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, the Community Development Department faced a capacity crisis.

With only three building inspectors (who also handled plan reviews), paper-dependent workflows, and no way for applicants to submit or track permits online, Department Director Christina Ainsworth said her team was experiencing “severe growing pains.”

The county partnered with Clariti to modernize its permitting operations and better manage increasing demand.

The Challenge

Doña Ana County's challenges extended beyond staffing capacity. Despite having a permitting solution in place, much of the department’s day-to-day work was still paper-dependent.

Staff couldn’t complete reviews simultaneously because paper plans had to be physically circulated between departments. Application status was tracked through paper logs and spreadsheets, and key information was often entered multiple times. Even when plans were submitted electronically, they were frequently printed for review, creating delays and duplicate effort.

Inspectors also lacked mobile inspection tools. They couldn’t access plans, permit details, or parcel history in the field and instead had to return to the office to verify information and enter results, creating unnecessary manual work.

The department also lacked an online portal for applicants to submit documents, upload revisions, make payments, or check permit status. Staff spent significant time answering phone calls and handling walk-ins to provide status updates.

Reporting was another major bottleneck. Extracting data required manual effort to verify numbers and catch errors, and in some cases, staff spent up to three full workdays preparing a single report.

Without easy access to accurate data, leadership struggled to monitor performance, justify staffing needs, and respond quickly to information requests.

Modernization Goals

Following an efficiency review and formal needs assessment, the county identified three clear priorities:

1. Reporting and data accessibility: Staff needed real-time access to accurate data and the ability to generate reports quickly, without relying on spreadsheets or manual verification.
2. Electronic plan review: Departments needed to complete reviews simultaneously to reduce review timelines and eliminate plan circulation delays.
3. Public portal: Residents and developers needed a way to submit applications, upload revisions, make payments, and track permit status online.

Beyond features, the county also wanted a responsive partner who would provide long-term support.

The Solution

After conducting a formal needs assessment and evaluating multiple vendors, Doña Ana County selected Clariti’s Enterprise Permitting Software.

Clariti provided a configurable permitting platform that replaced paper-based routing and spreadsheet tracking with centralized, digital workflows. The county’s implementation unified permitting, inspections, reporting, and applicant-facing services in a single system and included a managed integration with an electronic plan review solution.

As a result, the county can now:

• Complete simultaneous, cross-department plan reviews with centralized comment tracking
• Accept applications, payments, and revisions online
• Provide inspectors with mobile access in the field
• Generate real-time reports with centralized operational visibility

What changed for staff

Before

• Reviews occurred sequentially as paper plans circulated
• Electronically submitted plans were still printed for review
• Comments and status were tracked manually
• Inspectors returned to the office to access plans and enter results
• Reporting required extensive manual verification
• Staff maintained parallel tracking systems

After

• Plans are routed digitally for simultaneous review
• Comments are tracked centrally in one system
• Inspectors access plans, notes, and inspection tools from the field
• Inspection results and photos can be uploaded on-site
• Reports are generated in minutes
• All permitting and enforcement activity lives in a single system

What changed for applicants

Before

• Applications were submitted in person
• Revised plans had to be physically delivered
• Payments were processed manually
• Applicants called or visited for status updates

After

• Applications are submitted online
• Revisions are uploaded digitally
• Applicants track permits and inspection progress in real time
• Payments are completed online

The portal created a self-service experience for applicants while significantly reducing routine inquiries and in-person visits. Large developers (who account for a significant portion of the county’s permit volume) now manage their applications entirely online.

What changed for leadership and operations

Before

• Reporting required manual data extraction and spreadsheet reconciliation
• Leadership lacked timely operational visibility
• Staffing needs were difficult to quantify

After

• Real-time dashboards and customizable reports
• Faster response to internal and public data requests
• Clearer performance tracking
• Improved ability to justify staffing and allocate resources

Beyond operational improvements, modernization also improved staff morale.

Results

Since going live with Clariti, the county has achieved measurable improvements across the department:

• 50% reduction in commercial permit processing time

  • From 90 days to ~45.

• ~42% reduction in residential permit processing time

  • From 30+ days to just 2-3 weeks.

• 33% reduction in plan review timelines

  • Residential plan reviews decreased from 15 days to 10 days, and commercial reviews from 30 days to 20 days.

• 99% reduction in report creation time

  • Reports that once took up to three full workdays can now be generated in minutes, sometimes seconds.

• Reduced walk-ins and phone calls

  • The public portal significantly decreased in-person visits and status checks.

• Improved staff morale

  • Building inspectors and plan examiners who were initially resistant to change quickly became advocates for the new system.

Looking Forward

The county is now positioned to handle continued growth with the flexibility to make system adjustments without lengthy change orders or IT involvement.