Why One Minnesota County Turned to GIS to Automate Permitting

Sherburne County, located in central Minnesota, has seen its population more than triple since 1980. This rapid growth has placed increasing demands on county services—especially in the planning and zoning department, where permitting is the backbone of development and land management.

By 2021, county leaders recognized that their legacy permitting system was no longer equipped to support the needs of a rapidly expanding community. Like many local governments, Sherburne County staff faced a pivotal question: How could they modernize permitting to keep pace with growth and improve service for residents and developers?

That’s where Jenna Walz, senior geographic information system (GIS) specialist at the county, stepped forward with a solution. “GIS was the obvious choice,” Walz said. “It’s not just about mapping; it’s about connecting people, processes, and data to make smarter decisions across the county.”

Walz and her team didn’t just use GIS to streamline operations and improve efficiency—they built a permitting system designed for the future. The result: a digital platform that empowers staff, serves the public, and positions Sherburne County for sustainable growth in the years ahead.
 

In early 2022, Sherburne County’s GIS staff and planning and zoning department began a deep dive into the existing permitting workflow. Over two days, these staff from both departments mapped out every step, identifying bottlenecks and opportunities for improvement. Walz then spent seven months immersed in planning and zoning processes, not just replicating them in a GIS environment but also rethinking how the process could be streamlined.

The transformation began with the adoption of ArcGIS Enterprise. This secure, centralized platform enables the county to manage, analyze, and share spatial data across departments. The platform gave Walz access to a suite of tools to address key challenges—most notably, delayed permit reviews.

To ensure timely reviews, Walz developed Python scripts using ArcGIS API for Python. These scripts run nightly to flag permits that haven’t been reviewed within the required 10-day window.

Other scripts verify that new homes receive their certificate of occupancy (CO) once approved. Every few hours, automated scripts scan the system data for accuracy and alert staff to critical situations, such as unlicensed self-contractors doing work. Additional scripts generate permits; record forms, invoices, and emails; and calculate permit fees based on review responses and quantities—all with the click of a button.
 

With the success of automated scripts, the next step was building a web portal that was accessible to county staff, developers, and residents. The portal’s goal was to present a system that would be used for customer submissions; tracking, processing, and permitting purposes; and payment of fees.

In January 2024, Sherburne County launched the Planning & Zoning Permit Portal. It was built with ArcGIS Enterprise but also benefits from tools such as ArcGIS Field Maps (for building and other inspections), ArcGIS Experience Builder (as the user interface for the public), ArcGIS Survey123 (for permitting applications), and ArcGIS Pro to provide a seamless experience for both staff and residents.

Over the next six months, the planning and zoning department made continuous improvements, adding new features and streamlining workflows based on user feedback.

Today, the system allows the public to apply for over 50 types of permits online—including building, environmental, and land-use permits—as well as septic searches. Payments are made online, and customers can track the status of their applications at any time.

“This pivotal GIS project revolutionized the county’s planning and zoning department by digitizing its permitting services, creating an automated online portal,” said Gary Gray, Sherburne County Board of Commissioners chair.

Members of the public can now also monitor the status of their permit online, without having to call the planning and zoning department. “This system allowed residents and contractors to apply for, track, and receive various permits from the comfort of their homes or offices,” Gray added.

Additionally, the system reminds staff of important deadlines in the process. This is critical, because permits could get automatically approved if an internal staff deadline was not met. Finally, there is no longer the worry of paper copies of permits being misplaced or destroyed. This all helps ensure a more consistent and justifiable review process for applicants.
 

By nearly any metric, the Planning & Zoning Permit Portal has been a success for Sherburne County. The department estimates that permitting data entry time for staff has been cut by 50 percent. Moreover, the automated online payment functionality has reduced time spent collecting funds by half, while also reducing errors that inherently came from the previous manual process.

“We are so proud of our GIS staff,” said Gray. “The county was able to achieve this at a fraction of the cost of outsourcing, as the GIS project leveraged existing data and infrastructure to streamline workflows, reduce manual processing, and improve overall efficiency.”

The portal’s success has inspired further innovation. Walz and her team are in the process of adding a solid-waste permitting module to the system for the Solid Waste Division of the Planning and Zoning Department. 

By centering the permitting process around location and optimizing legacy review workflows, Sherburne County has deployed a system that serves the modern needs of developers and the public and will help the planning and zoning department ensure sustainable growth for years to come.