CLEVELAND, Ohio — Getting a permit in Cleveland has come with a ritual so familiar it earned a nickname: the crawl.
Applicants would show up at City Hall clutching forms, shuffling from department to department. A permit might need approval from Building & Housing, Zoning, Fire and Health. Not trusting the process, permit seekers would painstakingly watch their applications play pinball at 601 Lakeside.
City officials say the crawl is exactly what Mayor Justin Bibb wants to kill with a revamped, digital permit system that launched last week…