Baltimore Council President Calls City Permitting Process a Mess, Reforms Promised

Hilma Munson's roof was leaking. She had applied for a repair permit, but the application form offered no way to flag the job as urgent. By the time she finally received approval, the damage was done — and she only got the permit after calling her council member.

"We shouldn't have to have political connections to get a simple permit to fix a leaky roof," the Locust Point resident said.

Munson's experience landed at City Hall alongside dozens of others as residents, contractors and developers packed the building demanding answers about Baltimore's construction permitting system. City Council President Zeke Cohen delivered the bluntest assessment from the dais: the system is "a mess."

The frustration has pushed the Scott administration to act. On March 5, Mayor Brandon M. Scott released a framework for a sweeping overhaul called Bmore FAST, which stands for Facilitating Approvals and Streamlining Timelines. The administration said it would publish a comprehensive Bmore FAST Report over the following several weeks, promising dozens of recommendations to modernize the city's permit and approval processes. Mayor Scott also announced plans to form a Bmore FAST Advisory Group to bring together diverse stakeholders to guide implementation.

"Homeowners, business leaders and community members have all been clear that we need a more efficient and transparent permitting process in Baltimore City," Cohen said. "We look forward to continuing to collaborate with Mayor Scott's administration and the BMore Fast initiative to make these goals a reality for every zip code and community."

At the root of the current backlog is a $2.5 million software transition. The Department of Housing and Community Development switched to a new platform called Accela after receiving just six months' notice that its previous software would be discontinued. Deputy Mayor Justin Williams acknowledged the fallout directly. "I have a six-month-old, and this is what keeps me up at night — not my six-month-old," Williams said.

Deputy City Administrator Shamiah Kerney said a "tiger team" is working to reduce the backlog, but agency leaders declined to commit to any deadline for full resolution.

The human cost of that backlog showed up in testimony throughout the City Hall hearing. Andrew Lasinski, a small business owner near Brewers Hill, said he had been waiting six months for approval to install two electrical outlets. "This is a simple mechanical building permit," Lasinski said, "and it's still not issued today. I fear that my investment I've worked hard for is going to be at risk because of the situation." One unnamed investor has been waiting three years for permit approval.

Not everyone struggled equally. Victor Akinnagbe, CEO of Rebirth Development, testified that he regularly secures same-day or next-day permits "if you know how to work the system," crediting his background in IT for the advantage — an admission that drew implicit contrast with the experiences of homeowners and small business owners who lacked that knowledge or access.

Cohen warned that trust in city government is eroding. When the Bmore FAST framework was presented to the City Council's Housing and Economic Development Committee, chaired by James Torrence, the reception was skeptical. Agency heads declined to provide timelines for key reform components including third-party outsourcing and public-facing data dashboards, even when Torrence explicitly requested them. Proposals on the table, according to reporting, include third-party inspections and potentially delegating some fire department duties — ideas that raised further questions about feasibility and implementation timelines.

Cohen urged the administration to narrow its focus rather than attempt a wholesale reinvention at once. "Pick two or three things," he said. "If we try to do everything, we're not going to do anything."

Whether the Bmore FAST framework can deliver on its promises — or whether agency leaders will ever commit to a concrete deadline for clearing the backlog — remains unanswered.