AI Systems
AI PlanChecker: Automate LA County Building Permits — Faster Approvals, Zero Manual Work
Automate LA County building permits — AI plan review, instant fee calculations, real-time CSLB & DCA contractor verification. Cut permit approval time by up to 80%. Built for contractors, architects & developers.
Django
Django REST Framework
Material UI
PostgreSQL
Python
React
4
Government Portals Integrated in Real Time
15+
Permit Application Types
80%
Reduction in Permit Approval Time
The Problem
Permit Delays Are Costing Contractors Weeks and Real Money
The LA County building permit process required applicants to manually cross-reference multiple disconnected government portals — ZIMAS for zoning, the County Assessor for parcel data, CSLB for contractor credentials, and DCA for design professional licenses. Complex multi-section forms covered everything from MEP systems to grading and demolition, with no guided workflow to ensure completeness.
Fee calculations were opaque, relying on staff to apply the correct rules per project type. Applications with missing documents or unverified licenses were only caught during manual review — days or weeks after submission — creating costly resubmission cycles. The entire pipeline was reactive, slow, and error-prone.
Our Solution
An AI-First Permit Platform Built for LA County
We designed and delivered AI PlanChecker as a production-grade full-stack SaaS platform. A guided multi-step React frontend walks applicants through every section of the permit — property, applicant parties, contractor details, building specs, plan uploads, and supplemental documents — with inline validation enforced at each step.
Four government data scrapers run in real time: the LA County Assessor API auto-populates parcel data by address, ZIMAS fetches zoning codes and land-use designations, CSLB verifies contractor licenses (including bond and workers compensation details), and the California DCA validates architect and engineer credentials. All scraper results are stored and linked to the application record.
An AI processing layer runs completeness checks against the submitted application and attached plan files, flags missing or non-compliant items, and generates a structured compliance report. Fee calculation is fully automated based on permit type, project scope, and occupancy data. PayPal webhooks handle invoice payment and status updates without manual intervention.
Architecture
Django REST Framework API with JWT authentication and OTP email verification. React 18 + Redux Toolkit frontend with Material UI component library. PostgreSQL database with 20+ normalised models per permit type (Building, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing, FireSprinkler, Elevator, and more). BeautifulSoup-based scrapers for four government portals (LA Assessor, ZIMAS, CSLB, DCA). PayPal Checkout webhook integration for invoice lifecycle management. AI session management for multi-round plan completeness analysis. Versioned document storage for plan files and supplemental uploads.
The Result
Faster Approvals, Zero Resubmissions, Full Audit Trail
AI PlanChecker transformed LA County's most time-consuming permit process into a streamlined digital pipeline — delivering up to 80% faster approvals by eliminating every manual verification step.
Contractors and developers who previously spent days cross-referencing four government portals now complete the entire application in a single guided online session. Parcel and zoning data populate automatically on address entry; contractor and architect credentials are verified in real time at submission, with full bond and workers' compensation details captured and stored.
The AI completeness engine catches missing documents and non-compliant items before any application reaches a reviewer — eliminating the resubmission cycles that previously stalled projects for weeks. Permit fees calculate instantly, and PayPal webhooks close the payment loop without any manual invoice processing. The result: faster approvals, zero resubmission delays, and a fully auditable permit record from first application to paid invoice.
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