At a glance
- Who: City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP); Clariti.
- What: DPP has expanded the use of Clariti’s CivCheck AI Plan Review platform from pilot to full deployment.
- Why: To accelerate decision-making – it has saved more than 40 days per permit on average and permits processed through CivCheck reached decisions 55 per cent faster than non-CivCheck applications.
- When: Savings are based on Q1 2026 data.
City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Planning and Permitting is using Clariti’s CivCheck platform, which utilises AI to accelerate housing decisions.
The City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP) is making permit decisions faster by more than half using Clariti’s CivCheck platform, which uses artificial intelligence (AI).
Since expanding its use of the AI Plan Review platform from pilot to full deployment, the Hawaiian capital’s applicants have saved more than 40 days per permit on average and permits processed through CivCheck reached decisions 55 per cent faster than non-CivCheck applications.
Accelerating housing development
Housing has become one of America’s top affordability concerns and Clariti reports a White Houseexecutive order, bipartisancongressional legislation, and dozens of states have all put permitting reform at the top of the policy agenda as housing shortages and affordability pressures intensify.
Honolulu is working toaccelerate housing development and build what Mayor Rick Blangiardi has called “a permitting process as fast as anywhere in the country”. City leaders have identified faster, more efficient permitting as a key priority for reducing barriers to development, addressing housing affordability, and moving projects more quickly from application to approval. That commitment is reflected in the recent launch of Priority Review, a new initiative encouraging broader adoption of CivCheck ahead of the platform’s planned mandatory rollout later this year.
According to updatedQ1 2026 data, permits processed through CivCheck reduced average permit decision times from 73 days to 32.5 days. Review cycles decreased by 58 per cent and corrections per permit fell by 67 per cent, helping applicants move through the process with fewer revisions and less back-and-forth.
Through the Priority Review programme, eligible applications submitted through CivCheck move directly into the pre-screen process, reinforcing the city’s broader effort to reduce delays by helping complete applications enter review sooner.
“Permitting has a direct impact on Honolulu’s ability to build more housing, and we’ve worked hard to make that process work better for everyone,” said Dawn Takeuchi Apuna, Director of the Department of Planning and Permitting for the City and County of Honolulu. “These latest results show the progress we’ve made since expanding CivCheck to full deployment – fewer delays, stronger applications, and a faster path from submission to approval.”
Before implementing CivCheck, Honolulu faced permit backlogs due to incomplete and noncompliant applications. Applicants often received limited guidance on submission requirements, leading to multiple correction cycles and lengthy reviews. Staff were responsible for manually identifying compliance issues across applications while navigating inconsistent review processes.
Today, CivCheck helps applicants identify missing information and code compliance issues before submission, reducing delays before plans ever enter the review queue. The platform also standardises review checks and supports more consistent decision-making across permitting teams.
The latest results follow Honolulu’s earlier CivCheck pilot, which cut residential plan review times by 70 per cent across 145 pre-screened applications. Since citywide deployment, Honolulu has continued to improve permit review efficiency, application quality, and overall turnaround times.
“Permitting delays affect more than paperwork. They impact whether housing projects move forward, whether applicants can break ground, and whether communities can keep pace with demand,” said Cyrus Symoom, CEO of Clariti. “What Honolulu has accomplished demonstrates what’s possible when cities focus on outcomes. Technology is part of the equation, but lasting improvements happen when teams rethink processes, improve consistency, and give both staff and applicants better tools to succeed.
“Too often, governments have been asked to digitise existing processes without fundamentally improving the way work gets done,” said Symoom. “Honolulu shows that technology alone isn’t enough. When cities pair AI with strong leadership, better processes, and a willingness to rethink how permitting works, they can address the root causes of delays and deliver dramatically better results for their communities.”
Honolulu’s results come amid growing momentum to speed up housing approvals using AI. Denver recently selected Clariti’s guided AI Plan Review solution to improve permitting, and the company recently launched AI Studio, which gives local government teams direct access to Clariti’s expertise in applying AI across permitting workflows.
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Dieser Artikel ist neu veröffentlicht von / This article is republished from: Smart Cities World, 29.07.2026
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