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A new era of permitting begins with ARA
New department, Administration & Regulatory Affairs, takes the first step to one-stop permitting

By Bobby Vasquez

A small change in city permitting this year could lead to sweeping changes in coming years. This year, the Houston Police Department will transfer burglar alarm permits to the Administration & Regulatory Affairs Department.

That could be the first step in making a one-stop shop for all city of Houston permits, said Alfred Moran, director of ARA.

Previously, homeowners, contractors and business owners who wanted a burglar alarm permit went to HPD headquarters at 1200 Travis. But as soon as this transfer is complete, they will go to ARA on the fifth floor of 611 Walker.

Moving the permits makes sense for both departments, Moran said. “We are good at handling business, and the police department is good at catching criminals.”

While ARA completes the transfer, they are also building a new business plan to accommodate customers and alarm vendors, Moran said. They are working with HPD to make the transition as seamless as possible. The goal is to have this program, which will be transparent to the public, running by the end of the year.

Although ARA will handle the permits, the fees will continue to go HPD.

Taking over burglar alarm permitting is just the first step in what could be changes in city procedure that will benefit city employees and taxpayers, Moran said.

“We are exploring the idea of putting all city permits under one department,” he said. “This is just in the exploratory stage. It’s not an edict. We are still developing the vision of what one-stop permitting should look like.”

There are 252 different permits offered by nine city departments, said Greg Damianoff, who oversees the day-to-day operations of the permit transfers. Under the current procedure, if someone wants to open a restaurant, they have to get permits for liquor, operation, fire, food, burglar alarm, and more, Moran said. To do that, they have to go to several different places.

Last year, the city collected about $50 million for more than 435,000 permits. Almost 75 percent of those permits come from Public Works & Engineering, Finance & Administration, and Health & Human Services.

Where those funds will be directed has yet to be determined. “That’s way down the road,” said Damianoff.

“What we are proposing is for people seeking permits to go to one place to get what they need,” Moran said.

If implemented, the one-stop permitting program could be a physical location or on the city’s Web site, he said.

“Think how easy it would be if you wanted to open that restaurant and you went to the city’s Web site.” Moran said. “You click on permits for opening a restaurant and everything you need is right there.

That’s the idea we have.”

In a memo to the mayor, ARA reported it would concentrate on building a model through its commercial permitting section and then use that knowledge to develop a feasible model for the entire city. ARA expects to send their first reports to the mayor Aug. 1.

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