Case Study: Trent Hills, ON
Trent Hills Cuts Paperwork and Boosts Transparency with Municipal Permitting Software
Table of Contents
Introduction
The Municipality of Trent Hills is a community of around 15,000 residents in Northumberland County, Eastern Ontario. Known for its small-town character and village centers like Campbellford, Trent Hills is committed to delivering responsive, transparent public services that support safe development and a high quality of life for longtime residents and newcomers alike.
As Trent Hills’ population grew alongside rising expectations for digital services, the municipality set out to modernize its permitting process — from initial intake through inspections, payments, and reporting. The goal was a single, organized system that would improve coordination across building, planning, engineering, finance, and bylaw departments, while giving applicants more convenient self-service options. Implementation included system configuration, staff training, and ongoing support under a formal project agreement, supported by modern permitting software to standardize digital workflows.
“We wanted to work smarter, not harder—spending less time on low‑value administrative handling and more time on reviews, inspections, and service delivery.” – Eeva Passailaigue, Building/By-law Assistant at the Municipality of Trent Hills
– Eeva Passailaigue, Building/By-law Assistant at the Municipality of Trent Hills
Challenge
Before adopting municipal permitting software, Trent Hills relied on a paper-heavy permitting process:
- Multiple physical drawing sets
- Handwritten records
- Emailed follow-ups
- Manual payments
Tracking application status, coordinating departmental reviews, and producing reliable management reports were all difficult and time-consuming.
Staff frequently duplicated data entry across systems, spending more time on administration than on reviews and inspections. For applicants, the experience was slow and unpredictable. For staff, it meant limited visibility and inconsistent coordination across building, planning, engineering, finance, and bylaw departments.
Solution
Trent Hills implemented PSD Citywide’s municipal permitting software to centralize and streamline its entire permitting process — from mobile, paperless intake and plan review through inspections, payments, and reporting.
The permitting software platform gave staff and applicants a single, organized environment:
- Applicants can submit online, upload required documents by application type, and track permit status
- Staff can route tasks, coordinate departmental reviews, and access dashboards and centralized records for oversight and accountability
- Leadership gains reliable reporting to support more informed decision-making
Result
Modernizing the permitting process delivered measurable improvements across the organization.
- Applicants spend less time waiting: Residents submit applications online, upload documents, and track status without calling or visiting the office — reducing repeat calls, in-person visits, and administrative back-and-forth for everyone.
- Staff focus on higher-value work: Less time on manual intake and duplicate data entry means more capacity for application review, field inspections, and service delivery.
- Payments moved online: Credit card payments nearly doubled from roughly 30% in 2024 to 59% in 2025, reflecting strong resident adoption of the self-service portal.
- Departments work together more: Centralized records and shared dashboards replaced siloed tracking, improving visibility and accountability across building, planning, engineering, finance, and bylaw.
Conclusion
Trent Hills modernized its permitting process with a practical, measurable focus: clearer applicant communications, standardized workflows, better records, and a more convenient payment experience, all aligned with the municipality’s goal to work smarter. The result is a municipal permitting software environment that better serves residents while freeing staff to focus on the work that matters most, without eliminating options for those who still prefer paper.
