Review Turnaround and Performance Dashboards

To continue providing our high-quality service and support, Planning and Development is now offering customers access to several performance dashboards that show important benchmarks during the planning process. These performance dashboards feature a snapshot of average intake times, application review times and other relevant data.

Permit Volume and Duration

This performance dashboard provides a complete view of the number of permits currently under review and how long it takes to issue them.

The processing time is determined by the how long each of the following steps take:

Application(s) Submission
Initial Review
Client Resubmission
Final Review

For permits not self-submitted in the Permit and Development Portal, processing time starts when the complete application is entered by staff.

Permit Review Benchmarks

Planning and Development has set internal deadlines for review processes based on industry trends and historical performance. These performance dashboards show how long plan reviews should take, but they are only goals, they are not guaranteed turnaround times. The City of Raleigh strives to maintain a quality level of service and support.

Review Turnaround Time Benchmarks in Business Days

(Benchmarks are goals, not guaranteed turnaround times. Turnaround times only include review time and not estimated application submission processing.)

Project Type	First Review (in business days)	Additional Review(s) (in business days)
Residential project examples
Decks, porches, pools, spas, alteration & repairs, single trade permits, demolitions	3	3
Additions and accessory structures	7	5
New residential single family, duplex, or townhouse	10	5
Plan revisions	5	5
Non-Residential project examples
New buildings, additions, or change of use	15	10
Alterations & Repairs, interior fit-ups, accessary structures	10	5
Plan revisions, shop drawings, single trade permits, demolitions	5	5
Land Development
Development plan approvals such as administrative site review (Tier 2 or Tier 3), preliminary subdivision	20	15
Recorded maps (Boundary surveys, exempt maps, recombinations, tree conservation areas, transit easement maps, and right-of-way dedications, not related to the development plan.)	5	5
Recorded maps (Map related to the approved development plan, subdivision, site plan, or master plan.)	10	5
Site permit review	15	10
Site permit review revisions	10	10
Mass grading	7	7
Legal document review of City locked forms	10	10
Flood study	30	30
Zoning Review
Non-residential zoning permits	5	5
Non-construction zoning permits, temporary events, and residential fences	3	3
Final Review
Final Review for all project types (last quality control check before a permit is issued, this happens after all other review are complete)	1-3	1-3

The review cycle depends on the complexity level of the project and the number of reviewers required. Each review cycle is made up of comments from multiple staff experts, sometimes a dozen or more depending on the version or complexity of the application. If comments from even a single staff person are late, the entire round of reviews misses the benchmark.

Permit Review Cycles (Submittals)

The permit application review process may take several cycles to meet all the required standards. At the end of each review cycle, or “submittal,” staff feedback is sent back to the applicant to make the required changes for the next resubmittal. This process repeats until the permit application meets all the criteria for approval.

If the permit application process takes more than three submittals, the Planning and Development staff will reach out to provide guidance and help resolve any remaining issues.

Typical Intake Time

The application submission process, or “intake,” is the time from when a permit application is first received until it goes into staff review. Depending on the submittal method, and the complexity of the request, intake times can vary greatly. Understanding typical intake times by the submittal method can help applicants set realistic expectations and better manage projects. Benchmarks for intake times only serve as goals, they are not guaranteed timelines.

Typical Intake Time by Application Submittal Method

Submittal Method	Estimated Turnaround (in business days)
Residential and Non-Residential Projects submitted to the Permit and Development Portal	1-2
Residential Projects submitted to Downtownds@raleighnc.gov	3-5
Non-Residential Projects submitted to Commercialbuilding@raleighnc.gov	5-7
Land Development Review projects submitted to Sitereview@raleighnc.gov	3-5

How to Use the Dashboards

Info Tab

Users can click on the info tab to get more details.
The dashboard only has building permits, and similar types of work are grouped into categories, which are explained in the info tab.
A general disclaimer about the data is provided.

Filters

The data covers the period from 2021 to the present, and users can adjust the view to focus on different time periods.
Filters are available to view either residential or non-residential data.

Hover

By hovering over the categories, users can see more details about specific types of work.