City of Cleveland Launches New Public Portal to Modernize Permitting, Licensing, and Citizen Access to Services

SAN RAMON, Calif., Jan. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The City of Cleveland announced the launch of its new Permit Portal, a modern online system that streamlines how residents, businesses, and developers apply for permits, licenses, and city approvals. The Public Portal, powered by Accela^®, a leading provider of cloud solutions for government, marks a major milestone in Cleveland's multi‑year initiative to modernize its construction permitting and business services.

The new Permit Portal provides a unified, mobile‑friendly experience for submitting applications, uploading plans, paying fees, and tracking the status of requests across multiple city departments. It also consolidates previously fragmented workflows into a centralized, transparent system, an improvement aligned with the City's broader push to upgrade outdated processes and deliver more predictable service.

A Citywide Modernization Effort

Cleveland's launch reflects an extensive, all‑of‑government coordination. Multiple departments worked together to streamline processes, implement recommendations, and modernize construction permitting through updates to staffing, policy, and technology. These outcomes laid the foundation for greater transparency, accountability, and consistency across the permitting experience. The new Permit Portal is the first major milestone in a multi‑phase rollout, with additional improvements planned through 2026 to further enhance the customer experience for residents, businesses, and developers.

"This Permit Portal is a game-changer for how our residents and development partners interact with the City," said Sally Martin-O'Toole, City of Cleveland Director of Building and Housing. "Applicants now have one clear place to submit plans, track reviews, and stay informed. It's a major step forward in delivering the modern, predictable experience our community expects."

The Cleveland Permit Portal includes online access for construction permits, rental registrations, business licenses, lead‑safe certificates, parade permits, and more. It marks the first phase of a broader modernization initiative that will continue expanding digital self‑service across the City's permitting and licensing functions.

"Cleveland's launch of the Accela Public Portal demonstrates what's possible when a city pairs clear modernization goals with Accela's purpose-built government workflows," said Jonathon Knight, Chief Operations Officer at Accela. "The migration to a unified digital front end removed the fragmented steps that slowed down permitting and delivered staff and residents the visibility they need to track applications throughout the process – just like tracking a package."

Key Features of the Accela Public Portal

• Centralized online applications for permits, registrations, and licenses
• Unified login across city services
• Digital plan submission and integrated review comments
• Real‑time status tracking and notifications
• Enhanced transparency and consistency across departments

Read more here.

For media inquiries, please contact:
[email protected]

About Accela^®

Accela^® is a leading provider of cloud-based software solutions, empowering local and state governments to drive efficiency and modernization. Accela offers both a configurable platform and out-of-the-box civic applications for core processes including, but not limited to, permitting, licensing, and code enforcement. Accela assists agencies in streamlining workflows, reducing manual tasks, and improving service delivery. With a commitment to end-to-end support, Accela is a trusted partner to over 600 agencies and jurisdictions worldwide. For more information, please visit www.accela.com.

SOURCE Accela