HoCo Automation Inventory by Permit Type

Last updated: March 1, 2026 | Version 1.0

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Overview

This document lists every automation in Howard County's permitting system, organized by permit type — not by automation name or folder structure. For each permit type you can see:

• Archetype — the workflow pattern it follows (A1, A2, A2+, B1, B2, or E1)
• Automation chain — the step-by-step sequence of automations that fire as the permit moves through its lifecycle
• Reviews required — which departments review the permit and in what order

Cross-References

• For how to add a new permit type, see Runbook: Adding a New Permit Type
• For how to modify reviews, see Runbook: Modifying Review Requirements
• For troubleshooting, see Runbook: Troubleshooting Automation Failures
• For entity field details, see Entity & Field Reference

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Archetype Quick Reference

Decision Tree

Does the permit require parallel departmental reviews?

YES → How many routing variants does it have?

• ONE variant → B1 (FORK/JOIN)
  • Example: Sign Permit — always gets the same 5 reviews
• MULTIPLE variants → B2 (FORK/JOIN with routing)
  • Example: Residential New SFD vs Residential New Multi-Family — each gets different review combinations

NO → Is the workflow a straight line (step → step → step)?

• YES → How many review steps?
  • 3 steps (Issuance → CofC → Close) → A1
    • Example: Animal License, Utility Contractor License
  • 5 steps (Accept → Issue → Final → CofC → Close) → A2
    • Example: Residential Electrical, Residential Plumbing
  • More than 5 steps (extra review) → A2+
    • Example: Fire Permits (adds plan review), Rental License (adds pre-inspection)
• NO → Does it branch based on outcome?
  • YES → E1 (Enforcement/Branching)
    • Example: Enforcement cases (investigation may lead to action OR close)

Archetype Summary

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Building Permits — Residential

Entity: Building Permit
Archetype: B2 (FORK/JOIN with routing by form variant)
Total automations: ~40

How It Works

All Residential Building Permits share:

1. One Acceptance automation — fires for every residential building permit
2. A FORK automation specific to the permit variant — creates parallel Review Tasks for the departments that must review that variant
3. A JOIN automation — waits for all reviews to complete, then creates the Issuance task
4. Shared sequential tail — Issuance → Final Inspection → Certificate of Completion → Close

Shared Automations (All Residential Building Permits)

FORK/JOIN Variants — New Construction

FORK/JOIN Variants — Additions

FORK/JOIN Variants — Alterations

FORK/JOIN Variants — Miscellaneous Permits

FORK/JOIN Variants — Accessory Structures

JOIN Groupings

Several permit forms share the same JOIN automation because they have identical review requirements:

Residential Building — Complete Chain Example

Residential New SFD (most common permit type):

1. Create Acceptance (shared)
   |
   v
2. FORK - New SFD
   Creates 6 Review Tasks in parallel:
   +-- Zoning Review             (DPZ - Zoning, 5 days)
   +-- Building Plan Review      (DILP Plans Review, 20 days)
   +-- Electrical Review         (DILP Plans Review, 20 days)
   +-- Fire Review               (DILP Plans Review, 14 days)
   +-- Dev Engineering Review    (DPZ - DED, 10 days)
   +-- Health Dept Review        (Health Dept, 10 days)
   |
   v
3. JOIN - New SFD/Duplex/TH
   Waits for ALL 6 reviews to be Approved / Review Not Required
   Then creates Issuance Review Task
   |
   v
4. Issued --> Create Final Inspection (shared)
   |
   v
5. Final Approved --> Create Certificate of Completion (shared)
   |
   v
6. CofC Completed --> Close Permit (shared, terminal)

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Building Permits — Commercial

Entity: Building Permit
Archetype: B2 (FORK/JOIN with routing by form variant)
Total automations: 16 (15 active + 1 inactive cancellation)

Shared Automations (All Commercial Building Permits)

FORK/JOIN Variants

JOIN Groupings

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Trade Permits

Entity: Trade Permit
Total automations: 33

Trade Permits use sequential workflows. Residential trades use A2 (5 steps + cancellation). Commercial trades and Fire use A2+ (6 steps + cancellation, with an extra department review step).

Residential Electrical (A2 — 6 automations)

Residential Plumbing (A2 — 6 automations)

Same chain as Residential Electrical. Routes on Trade Type = Plumbing AND Category = Residential.

Residential HVAC (A2 — 6 automations)

Same chain as Residential Electrical. Routes on Trade Type = HVAC AND Category = Residential.

Commercial Electrical (A2+ — 7 automations)

Commercial Plumbing (A2+ — 7 automations)

Same chain as Commercial Electrical, but the extra review step is Plumbing Mechanical Review instead of Electrical Review. Routes on Trade Type = Plumbing AND Category = Commercial.

Commercial HVAC (A2+ — 7 automations)

Same chain as Commercial Electrical, but the extra review step is HVAC Review. Routes on Trade Type = HVAC AND Category = Commercial.

Fire Permits — All Categories (A2+ — 7 automations)

Trade Permit Summary

All A2 chains: Acceptance → Issuance → Final → CofC → Close + Cancellation
All A2+ chains: Acceptance → [Department Review] → Issuance → Final → CofC → Close + Cancellation

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Licenses

Entity: License
Total automations: 29

Licenses use four different archetypes depending on complexity.

Animal License (A1 — 3 automations)

Utility Contractor License (A1 — 3 automations)

Same chain as Animal License. Routes on License Application Type = Utility Contractor.

Mobile Home Park License (A1 — 3 automations)

Same chain as Animal License. Routes on License Application Type = Mobile Home Park.

Taxi License (A1 — 3 automations)

Same chain as Animal License. Routes on License Application Type = Taxi.

Shooting Range License (A1 — 3 automations)

Same chain as Animal License. Routes on License Application Type = Shooting Range.

Pawnbroker License (A1+ — 4 automations)

Rental License (A2+ — 4 automations)

Sign Permit (B1 — 6 automations)

Sign Permit FORK Reviews (5 parallel):

License Summary

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Enforcement

Entity: Enforcement
Archetype: E1 (Branching)
Total automations: 5

Enforcement workflows differ from permits because the outcome of the investigation determines which path the case follows. There is no fixed chain — the workflow branches.

Automation Chain

Enforcement Flow Diagram

New Enforcement Case
        |
        v
1. Create Investigation RT
        |
        v
   Investigation Outcome?
        |
        +-- Cause For Action
        |       |
        |       v
        |   2. Create Building Action RT
        |       |
        |       v
        |   (Building Action resolved
        |    by staff in RT view)
        |
        +-- Code Violation No Action --> 3a. Close Case
        |
        +-- Unfounded -----------------> 3b. Close Case
        |
        +-- Case Cancelled ------------> 3c. Close Case

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Summary Statistics

By Entity

By Archetype

Automation Naming Convention

All automations follow a consistent naming pattern:

[Number] [Permit Type] - [Action Description]

Examples:

• 1 Res Bldg - Create Acceptance
• Res Bldg - FORK - New SFD
• Res Bldg - JOIN - New SFD/Duplex/TH
• Comm Elec - Accepted - Create Electrical Review
• 1 Animal License - Create Issuance
• 1 E1 - Create Investigation

The numbering makes the chain order clear at a glance.

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Appendix: Review Department Quick Reference

For each review type, which department is responsible and how many SLA days they have:

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Related Documentation

• Automation Builder Configuration — How to build automations
• Status Automation — Status change patterns
• Automated Reminders — Notification configuration
• Wait Steps — Delay and wait patterns

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This inventory covers all automations configured as of March 1, 2026 (150+ total including system automations). For questions about specific automations or to request new automation development, contact your System Administrator.