Syracuse approves AI permitting system despite council data privacy concerns

Syracuse Common Council moved ahead with an AI-powered permitting system on July 9, backing a $1.5 million federal grant even as Councilor Hanah Ehrenreich questioned how the city would protect permit data and control the new technology. The system is meant to check blueprints and building permits against New York State code, flag missing information or errors, and speed review of applications.

Deputy Commissioner of Code Enforcement and Zoning Jake Dishaw introduced the plan. The Department of Housing and Urban Development wants to test whether AI tools can improve permitting in U.S. cities. The city had to act quickly because it learned of the grant late. A June 25 letter from Janet Burke, director of the Bureau of Research, asked City Clerk Patricia McBride to prepare the legislation, and Mayor Sharon Owens signed the request submitted by city budget director Evan Loving.

Ehrenreich said she was not persuaded by the proposal and raised concerns about privacy and security, a sensitive issue in City Hall after the council revoked a deal with Flock Safety over license-plate reader cameras once it emerged that Immigration and Customs Enforcement had accessed Syracuse data in the Flock database.

Syracuse faces pressure to move faster on housing and development approvals, especially with expected demand tied to Micron’s project in Clay and the city’s effort to revive a children’s center project that fell apart. The city’s permit office handles roughly 4,000 to 5,000 permit requests each year, and in 2024 Syracuse permitted 41 new residential buildings, creating 304 units.

On Aug. 8, 2025, then-Mayor Ben Walsh announced that residential and commercial construction permits had been added to the city’s Online Application Portal as part of an effort to streamline intake, review, issuance, and online tracking. The portal was later set to expand to business licenses, right-of-way permits, and zoning permits.