Permitting is getting an AI boost in a city north of Los Angeles, the latest example of how the new technology is helping to power one of the most traditional of local government tasks.
Lancaster, Calif., will become one of the first municipalities in the U.S. to use a “next-generation permitting platform” from Labrynth, which sells automated compliance software, according to a statement.
The platform promises the ability for the city to “fast-track approvals, eliminate bottlenecks and raise the bar on permitting speed, transparency and economic readiness,” according to the statement.
That, in turn, will result in quicker permitting decisions, potentially eliminating a common pain point and source of complaints from developers, residents and others.
The platform uses what the statement calls “agentic workflows,” referencing a type of artificial intelligence designed to make decisions without human prompts, a capability that relies on machine learning, language processing and other tools.
The platform can “pre-screen submissions,” check them against city rules and “flag missing components” to permit applications, among other tasks, according to the statement.
“This tool allows us to take what’s historically been a bureaucratic pain point, permitting, and turn it into a driver of growth,” Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris told Government Technology via email. “Especially now, with so much demand for housing, energy and infrastructure projects, we need systems that match the pace of innovation.”
He said the platform already is offering “clearer feedback and faster turnaround” for developers.
Lancaster also will become one of the first cities included in Labrynth’s new Red Tape Index, which the company says is a national benchmark that measures “permitting speed, transparency and regulatory readiness.”
Parris said the city’s inclusion in the tool means Lancaster is “helping define what smart governance looks like nationally. We’re turning compliance from a cost center into a competitive advantage and setting a standard that other cities can follow.”
That index will eventually cover more than 500 cities, Labrynth said, estimating that achieving the mark will take 30 days.
“Lancaster is doing more than modernizing — they’re showing other cities across America what’s possible,” said Stuart Lacey, CEO of Labrynth, in the statement. “Their leadership underscores a broader shift across the country: When local governments remove barriers, they unlock opportunity. Lancaster is the blueprint.”
Using AI to speed up permitting represents one of the hottest areas of the government technology business. Two recent examples underscore that: Pennsylvania’s Permit Fast Track Program, credited with sparking economic development; and the private equity-backed triple merger of GovOS, Avenu and ITI.
Lancaster Bets on AI to Cut Red Tape, Boost Development
With housing, energy and infrastructure demands mounting, officials say the city’s adoption of Labrynth’s permitting technology is turning bureaucracy into a competitive advantage — and offering a blueprint for others.
