Case Study: Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) achieves instant statewide cloud permitting with Accela Civic Platform

Michigan’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs to Integrate Statewide Construction, Code Enforcement and Licensing in the Cloud

Michigan’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Construction Codes (BCC), is responsible for issuing contractor permits across a large, 9.9 million‑person state. In the early 2000s the bureau relied on mailed, manual workflows that processed roughly 40,000 permits a year but often took 15+ working days, creating backlogs, frustrating contractors and delaying inspections and building projects.

By deploying the Accela Civic Platform (online permitting, licensing and case management, GIS, mobile access and e‑plan review), Michigan moved permitting online with 24/7 access, automated error checking and online payments—allowing permit numbers and inspections to be issued in minutes. The change cut processing time from a week to minutes, shortened overall building time, saved staff and contractor time and money, paid for itself within four months, and today supports over 75,000 permits and renewals annually.

Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA)

Shelly Edgerton

Deputy Director and Chief Data Systems Officer, LARA