Primary Department: County Engineer
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Milton Rahman, PhD, P.E., PMP, CFM, ENV SP
Secondary Department: N/A
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official: N/A
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Discussion Item
Project ID (if applicable): N/A
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A - Not a grant item
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
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Request for discussion and action of a plan to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other software improvements to make the permitting process faster, more accurate, and easier for the public to use.
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Background and Discussion:
On September 9, 2025 Commissioner Court directed the Office of the County Engineer (OCE) to develop a plan for using artificial intelligence and other software improvements for permitting. The OCE has conducted research on AI software tools. The City of Austin and the County of Los Angeles are utilizing AI tools in the permitting process. The OCE staff conducted site visits and meetings to understand the scope and budget of their AI software tools. The use of AI for permitting is an emerging area in technology. In response to the court order, OCE's plan for using AI to make the permitting process faster, more accurate, and easier for the public to use is described in different tasks and timelines below:
1. Internal Review of our Current Software Platforms/Systems: September 2025, staff began reviewing our existing software platforms to determine if we already have capabilities to review and approve permits without human interactions. Our existing ePermits currently auto-permits over 50% of track home and all fireworks stand applications. A mo...
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