H794 - NC Permitting Efficiency Act of 2017

• Requires counties and cities to adopt written policies and standards for construction permits, deny permits only for noncompliance with established standards, and notify applicants of specific deficiencies if denied.

• Mandates counties and cities establish published schedules for permit review with maximum approval timelines, submit quarterly compliance reports, and require concurrent (simultaneous) rather than sequential reviews of related permits from multiple agencies.

• Delegates to municipalities with 50,000+ population the authority to review and approve permits for state-maintained roads, excluding interstates, high-traffic roads (50,000+ AADT), and controlled-access highways.

• Limits off-site infrastructure improvement requirements to those roughly proportionate to development impact, with in-lieu fees capped at 120% of estimated construction costs, and prohibits requiring permittees to reserve land or dedicate rights-of-way unless included in written policy.

• Requires state and local agencies to establish online permitting systems by 2020 with concurrent access for multiple reviewing departments, publish transparency data on permit review timelines, and limits technology setup fees to actual costs over first 24 months.