Case Study: City of Missoula achieves streamlined, transparent digital permitting and improved citizen experience with Accela

From Trading Post to Govtech Leader with Higher Transparency, Better Analytics, and Formulated Processes in Community Development

The City of Missoula sought to modernize decades‑old planning and permitting workflows to eliminate paper, share more data, and increase transparency for residents and businesses. Facing growing demand and limited staff, the city aimed to deliver a faster, “Amazon‑style” citizen experience while reducing bottlenecks and improving decision‑making.

Missoula implemented Accela’s cloud-based permitting, planning, licensing and service‑request tools alongside electronic plan review and analytics. As a result, roughly 70% of permits are now applied for online (with a 98% target), office foot traffic and phone inquiries have fallen, staffing needs were reduced, and citizens, staff, architects and developers now benefit from greater transparency and better operational data.

City of Missoula

Aaron Bowman

Building Official and Applications Software Engineer