I am currently registered as a building contractor with the City of Bryan. Do I need to re-register and pay the contractor registration fee?

All contractors, including contractors that are currently registered to do business in Bryan, need to create a user account and register as a contractor to access the new online platform.

Once you submit your contractor registration for the new portal, our permit center staff will check your existing contractor registration and adjust expiration dates to match those of your existing registration. If your registration is still active, you will not be charged a new $50 registration fee at this time. If you currently do not have an active building contractor registration with the city, then the registration fee is due before you may apply for permits. You will receive a notice to advise when your registration is approved and/or if registration fees are due.

Note: mechanical, electrical, and plumbing contractors are exempt from the city’s contractor registration fee, per State law.

When your contractor registration is about to expire you will be notified by email and have the opportunity to renew your registration on the portal. Your user account will remain active with the email address and password you used to create it.

Does the city require that all employees of a company that might use the portal create individual registrations, or can a company use a single registration?

We recommend that you create one user account with one main contact person for the entire company but share the login information with others in the company requiring access. Automated and customized emails from the portal will be sent to that email address.

Individual user accounts within a company will not be able to see the status of a project under another user’s account, resubmit plans on someone’s behalf, request inspections for a permit that another employee submitted, or pay applicable fees for another user account.

If you are having trouble creating user accounts, please email building@bryantx.gov or call the Development Services Permit Center at 979.209.5010.

Why is the city getting an online permitting platform?

The development of our new online permitting system has been a multi-year effort. The city was looking for a modern, web-based platform with a mobile-friendly user interface that would support customers on the building permitting process from start to finish.

In June 2022, the Bryan City Council approved a contract with Online Solutions, LLC (dba Citizenserve) to provide an online permitting and inspections platform that supports the city’s building permitting processes. Since then, their project team has been working with city staff members to identify and design 140+ unique permitting processes. We’ve also worked together through 60+ design sessions with permitting staff members and subject matter experts to identify workflows for each process.

With this new system, customers seeking to build or do business in Bryan will have mobile-friendly access to submitting applications, making payments, and interacting with Development Services staff members through their online portal accounts. Development Services staff members will gain new capabilities to complete their work tasks more efficiently, and provide more efficient services to our customers.

We are looking forward to offering our customers access to online permitting 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Who is Citizenserve?

Citizenserve is the creator of the software that powers our new online permitting platform. Their team is helping us streamline the delivery of our services to customers. For more than 20 years, Citizenserve has been providing community development software and services for municipal governments. To learn more about Citizenserve and their software solutions, please visit the Citizenserve website.

What features can customers expect from this system?

Customers will have access to several new features including:

• Finding the appropriate application and helpful tips about the application process.
• Uploading and submitting application documents electronically, from a computer or mobile device, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Scheduling and tracking inspections online.
• Making online payments using credit card or electronic check.
• Tracking application activity and viewing real-time status.
• Email notifications for activities such as application confirmation, inspection status changes, and inspection results.

What permits can customers apply for using this system?

Registered customers can apply for all types of residential and commercial building permits. Customers can also apply for vendor and solicitor licenses, annual credit-access business licenses, and manufactured home land lease community licenses.

How will I access this online permitting platform?

You will be required to register and create a user account to access the new online platform.

Register Here

Who must register to use the online permitting platform?

• Residential and commercial building, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing contractors and subcontractors. In the City of Bryan, contractors must register annually to be able to apply for permits.
• Homebuilders who desire to apply for the city’s Homebuilder Incentive Program must use the system to begin the application process.
• Operators of credit access businesses and manufactured home land lease communities must use the system to apply for or renew their annual license.
• Solicitors and itinerant vendors.

I am having trouble registering. Who can I contact?

For questions about registration or how to create a user account, please email building@bryantx.gov or call the Development Services Permit Center at 979.209.5010.

The Permit Center hours are Monday – Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed on City of Bryan holidays).

Which internet browser should I use when working with this the new system?

The system is mobile-friendly and should work on any desktop or mobile web browser. We recommend using Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Microsoft Edge browsers to ensure the best user experience.

How will I know how to use the system? Will there be any training on how to use the new system?

While the new system is user-friendly and intuitive by design, we are working on training videos and user guides to help with this transition to the online platform. These training materials will be available soon.

Will using the new system cost me more?

No. Permit fees will remain the same. With the new system, users will have the ability to pay fees online, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Does the new portal mean there are changes to the city’s Homebuilder Incentive Program?

The city’s launch of the new portal allowed for some positive changes to the administration of the city’s Homebuilder Incentive Program.

• There is now an online registration application for the Homebuilder Incentive Program, which tracks Chapter 380 development agreement expiration dates.
• Homebuilders only need to apply once every 18 months for the Homebuilder Incentive Program “license” on the portal.
• Once the Chapter 380 agreement is approved, users can apply online for new single-family home construction that meets the program’s requirements as long as they have an active agreement.
• Users complete a few extra questions on the portal when applying for a residential – new, single-family building permit.
• Users will be notified when their building permit is ready to be issued.
• If project milestones per the agreement are not being met, building permit fees will automatically be added to the project; these fees must be paid before additional inspections can be requested.
• Users will receive an email notice 90 days before their Chapter 380 agreement expires, allowing them to submit a new agreement if they wish to continue participation in the program.

In order to help guarantee a smooth transition to the new online permitting system for participation in the Homebuilder Incentive Program, we encourage homebuilders follow these three simple steps now.

• Please go to the new online permitting system and create a user account (user name and password).
• Please click on “Apply for a business license” under the “Business Licensing” headline on the homepage
• Complete and submit the Homebuilder Incentive Program registration application.

With an approved Chapter 380 Agreement you will be able to apply for building permits under the program and take advantage of all the features the new system has to offer.

Register Here

Can I still submit paper applications?

No. In order to apply for permits after the new system launches, you will need to register and create a user account, and then apply for permits and business licenses using the new permitting system.

Register Here