AI PlanChecker: Automate LA County Building Permits, Faster Approvals, Zero Manual Work

Building permit software was the missing piece in LA County's application process, which 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.

AI PlanChecker is the production-grade, full-stack SaaS platform we designed and delivered for LA County to solve exactly this. 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.

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.