When time is so often money, government inefficiency is more than just a bureaucratic nuisance—it’s an economic drain. Thus, a recent executive order from Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin marks an important moment in the state’s ongoing efforts to overhaul its permitting processes. His latest directive builds on several years of efforts to cut red tape and improve government services in the Commonwealth. Youngkin’s new order will accelerate the pace of change and provides a blueprint for the future.
Virginia’s Permit Transparency Initiative
Virginia’s permitting revolution began in 2022 with the establishment of the Office of Regulatory Management (ORM). Since its inception, ORM oversaw the elimination or streamlining of more than 50,000 regulatory requirements, saving Virginians over $1.2 billion. A key component of this modernization effort was the Virginia Permit Transparency (VPT) initiative, launched in late 2022. Initially a pilot program focused on permits from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), this online portal allows real-time tracking of permit applications, transforming what was once a slow, opaque process into one that is transparent and accountable.
By fall 2024, the online portal had expanded to cover 100,000 applications issued per year across six state agencies, including Virginia’s Department of Energy and Department of Transportation. The portal allows permit applicants to track the status of their permits from submission through approval.
Governor Youngkin’s recent executive order builds on this progress, pushing for continued improvements across state agencies. One motivation behind the order was the sheer scale of the delays still plaguing Virginia’s permitting system. In fiscal year 2024, Virginia processed more than 400,000 permits, registrations, and other approvals. On average, completed approval applications took 10 days to process. While that may seem reasonable at first glance, the cumulative effect is staggering—over 11,000 years of collective waiting time for Virginians. Reducing these wait times by even 10% could free up 1,100 years of productive time annually for residents and businesses alike.
Achievements Thus Far
One of the most striking successes of the VPT initiative has been at the DEQ, which has managed to reduce its average permit processing time by a remarkable 70 percent. This reduction is estimated to save Virginia citizens up to $40 million annually, as projects are able to move forward without unnecessary delays.
Another area of success has been dramatic improvements at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). In less than three years, the Office of Transformation managed to cut wait times at DMV service centers by more than 70%, slashing the average wait time from 37 minutes to just 10 minutes. This reform alone has significantly improved outcomes for the 3.5 million Virginians who frequent the DMV each year.
Similarly, the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) has made substantial strides in improving service delivery. Over 1.3 million unemployment work items were cleared, helping the VEC move from near the bottom of national timeliness rankings to the top 20. These initiatives, though not directly related to permitting, illustrate the broader culture of reform that is taking root under the Youngkin administration.
A Blueprint for the Future
Youngkin’s new executive order outlines a number of additional reforms. For example, in fiscal year 2024, there were 87 types of approvals that had an annual volume of only one or zero applications. Such permits can clutter the regulatory landscape without offering significant public benefits. The executive order calls for a review of these low-volume permits, recommending that many be eliminated to reduce administrative complexity.
The order also directs agencies to report average approval times and submit improvement plans by December 2024. And it mandates that any permit process that involves multiple steps or has a target processing time of 15 days or more be incorporated into the VPT portal. Agencies will have to map out every procedural step for permits, so they can begin tracking permit applications online.
Beyond these updates, agencies will have to issue quarterly reporting on their progress. Agencies are also encouraged to shift from individual permits, which require case-by-case evaluations, to general permits, which are standardized and more easily processed. This shift should benefit industries like construction, where delays in permit approvals often hold up major development projects.
Although the VPT initiative has already made significant progress in digitizing permit tracking, many agencies still rely on paper applications and manual reviews. The executive order thus directs agencies to work with the Virginia Information Technology Agency (VITA) to digitize application submissions, fee payments, and status tracking. The future also portends opportunities to integrate federal and local permitting into the VPT system, providing a potential one-stop portal for all necessary approvals.
A Model for Other States
Virginia’s permitting reforms are a case study in how transparency and technology can transform government processes. As the state continues to expand its efforts, the Commonwealth’s permitting revolution could set a new standard for how governments across the country handle approvals. Virginia is not only improving the business environment, it is demonstrating how government can work better for the people it serves.
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