For cities and villages to encourage needed development and the tax base benefits it brings, they must be certain that the process of receiving, reviewing, and acting on applications for land use approvals is efficient, saving applicants the time and cost of undue delays. Streamlining ensures that this process is as clear and understandable as possible, from the moment an applicant enters city or village hall until a Certificate of Occupancy for a project is secured. This document is designed to assist municipalities in assessing the purpose of existing application processes and gives guidance on how to streamline those processes.

*This document was prepared with funds provided by the New York State Department of State under the Shared Municipal Services Incentive Grant Program.