About us:

The Department of Permit Coordination is responsible for overseeing action taken by various municipal departments once permit applications are submitted by the public. The department also monitors permitting activities, and coordinates enforcement activities of various departments including Building, Zoning, Engineering, Fire and Health. Our monitoring process ensures that the departments work in cooperation with each other, as well as with land-use boards and commissions. To the maximum extent possible, permit applications and enforcement activities are handled fairly and efficiently while balancing the needs of developers with those of the general public.

Staffed by a Director/ZEO, Customer Service Manager/CZET, two full-time and one part-time Customer Service Representatives and a Clerk Typist, the department has the authority to prioritize as well as establish timetables and deadlines for review and subsequent action on permit applications by the municipal departments.

          With Customer Service staff waiting to greet them, visitors to the Permit Center can explain their project in person and review the proper paper work and guidelines for their project. For the public’s convenience, the Permit Center has combined different permits into a project type so that all required plans will be submitted with that one application. The permit center will then disseminate plans and paperwork and route this information to the appropriate departments. Progress of your application can be monitored on the department’s webpage. Staff will contact applicants with any request for more information so that permits can be issued. Upon final approval, applicants will return to the permit center to pay, bond, and receive the necessary permits. All inspections required for your project will be reviewed and scheduled by our staff.  One centralized inspection number ensures a smooth closeout of a project and avoids redundant or skipped inspections. When all permits are closed, the center will complete the process by having the Zoning Officer and Building official issue certificates.

          The Permit Center’s ultimate goal is to remove the stress and intimidation sometimes experienced as an applicant plans a project. Visiting with the permit center is not a guaranteed yes, but applicants will leave with the satisfaction of knowing that they are important to us and that we do care. From small residential projects, to multi-million dollar commercial jobs, the Permit Center provides individual attention to homeowners and contractors alike from submittal to completion.

Our accomplishments:

            Many large projects such as commercial new construction can become very complicated due to the scope and complexity of the project. The Permit Center monitors these projects through inspection activity and coordinates project completion to a set time table that the applicant helps target. One large project currently under construction is the proposed expansion of Danbury Hospital. This project will include a new 12 story tower and an expanded and relocated emergency room.

            The city is currently enjoying a commercial project surge. We have many new projects which are already approved or in the pipeline for approval such including projects for Pitney Bowes, Goodrich, the former Marcus Dairy site and the Danbury Fair Mall, just to mention a few.

            Throughout the year the Permit Center issued over 5,148 permits, 600 Certificates of Compliance and 900 Certificates of Occupancy.  In addition our staff scheduled over 13,000 inspections and processed over $2million in fees.  The Center also received and released over $1.5million in bonds.

            Over the past few years many towns and cities have visited our Permit Center with the intention of modeling their own permitting system after the City of Danbury’s. The standard we have set for other cities to follow is high.  We are fortunate to have a department that is staffed with hardworking individuals, Inspectors, Officers and Marshals whose goal is to serve the city.