Case Study: Archuleta County achieves streamlined permitting and greater efficiency with Accela

How Technology Helps Small Governments Solve Big Problems

Accela worked with the town of Somerton, Ariz., and Archuleta County, Colo., to address the common challenges small governments face: limited budgets and staff, rising service demands, and the need to support economic growth while maintaining efficient permitting, inspections and planning workflows. Both jurisdictions needed better tools for handling permits, communicating with out‑of‑town property owners, and reducing manual errors without adding heavy IT overhead.

They deployed Accela’s cloud-based Land Management solution on the Accela Civic Platform, centralizing inspection and permit data, integrating parcel and owner information, and automating fee calculations. The result: faster, more accurate processing, reduced staff time and errors, easier remote access for residents and developers, and a cost‑effective, scalable platform that supports redevelopment and transparency on a small government budget.

Archuleta County

John Shepard

Planning Manager