Permitting from the city of Bakersfield is now “instant” for certain construction projects, thanks to a cutting-edge, AI-powered software called Symbium.
The permitting process has long frustrated city leaders, developers and others who are trying to complete their projects as soon as possible, but with Symbium, some permits can be available in what the city says is instantly.
“Every once in a while, you come across a possibility that is a total game changer,” City Manager Christian Clegg said Friday to a small gathering at the Development Services Building.
“A possibility that’s going to really put you on the mark. And that possibility for us is Symbium,” Clegg said.
Developed by data scientists at Stanford University, Symbium is able to quickly scan permit applications for compliance with any range of regulations.
“It enables instant permitting because as contractors scope out their projects on Symbium, Symbium performs the compliance checks right in the software, and it’ll even surface for you the regulations that are being analyzed, based on what you’ve input, which is new,” said Laila Banijamali, the company’s CEO.
Banijamali said the software is different from generative AIs like ChatGPT, and that it isn’t limited to just building permits but can analyze a range of other data as well.
“We’ve been using it for years and years across many industries, not just permitting,” Banijamali said. “In fact, we started in health care with a project at the (Department of Veterans Affairs) to help veterans understand their benefits.”
San Francisco-based Symbium has been adopted by 60 California cities in 20 months, all without a marketing team, Banijamali said, mostly by word of mouth between local government officials. The company is preparing to announce partnerships with cities in Texas and Florida, she said.
Developers who’ve used the software said it makes it easier for companies to work across various jurisdictions, each with its own set of regulations.
Duncan Cleminshaw, a regional manager with GAF Energy, said local governments using software such as Symbium means contractors don’t have to learn a new set of rules every time they expand their business.
Cleminshaw held up one of his company’s products, a mix of roofing tile and solar panel.
“If I go to a building department, I say, ‘I have solar,’ they’re: ‘Oh, we have a procedure for solar.’ I’m like, ‘Well, it’s not the procedure for solar that you’re most familiar with. I got a different flavor of it,” Cleminshaw said.
“So being able to come, with a level playing field and say, take a look at the requirements for this as it’s roofing, then add the requirements to it as solar as electrical. Everything goes a lot more smoothly,” he said.
The city has used Symbium since April, said Pete Jackson, chief electrical inspector with the city, and in that time has approved roughly 500 permits using the software.
The city receives between 100 and 200 applications a week, Jackson said. Applicants can still choose the traditional method, but for those who have chosen Symbium, the process has been much faster.
“The key here is we want an application that’s from the jurisdiction and for the jurisdiction,” Jackson said. “In other words, this isn’t about just doing things faster. We actually increased compliance checks with this process.”
Jackson said the city entered into a contract with Symbium more than a year ago and officials worked with the company to design software that ensures all installations meet city requirements.
Contractors can submit their documents to Symbium’s website, Banijamali said, and as long as the company is live in a jurisdiction, it can provide a permit in that area.
Applicants still have to pay a fee to Symbium, typically between $25 and $50, Banijamali said, and then cities charge their own fees. But the software is provided to cities at no cost, she said.
“The city of Bakersfield lowers the cost of the permit by this Symbium fee, so there’s no additional cost to the applicant,” Jackson said.
Several contractors were in the audience Friday, including Mark Brewer, who works out of Fresno for Solar Negotiators. He said using Symbium has greatly expedited the permitting process.
“You submit it on a Monday, you’ve got it on a Tuesday,” Brewer said.