County Executive Elrich Announces New Initiative to Digitize Licensure and Regulatory Services’ Applications; Effort Will Save Customers Time and Improve Processing of Thousands of Permits Annually

For Immediate Release: Thursday, August 26, 2021

County Executive Marc Elrich has announced a new initiative that will enable customers to apply online for a  variety of licenses issued by Licensure and Regulatory Services, a program of the County’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), by the end of 2021. Food service facilities, farmer’s markets and permits to operate bingo games and tanning facilities are among the more than 20 types of licenses issued by the program.

The initiative to digitize the application process is a year in the making and is a collaborative effort with DHHS’ Licensure and Regulatory Services, the County’s Department of Technology Services and Enterprise Business Solutions, SeamlessDocs, Montgomery County Innovation , and U.S. Digital Response (USDR), a volunteer organization. The effort is designed to make the licensure and permitting process more efficient for users and staff. The project began when Licensure and Regulatory Services approached Innovation about modernizing their paper-based system. County Councilmember Andrew Friedson was also instrumental in launching the project, supporting the use of the Innovation Fund to make the use of SeamlessDocs possible.  

The online application process will provide residents and business owners with immediate confirmation that an application and required paperwork have been received. If a permit application is declined, confirmation of the denial will also be available immediately.

“I applaud this effort to make it easier to do business with County government,” said County Executive Elrich. “Since I took office, I have been asking employees to find innovative ways to be more effective and efficient in services for residents and the business community. This project is an example of how employees are developing and implementing new days of doing things. This initiative also aligns perfectly with my priorities to create a greener County, a growing economy, and an effective, sustainable government.”

Licensure and Regulatory Services processes thousands of paper copies of more than two dozen forms annually. Using SeamlessDocs, the digitization of these forms is already saving temporary food vendors and summer camp operators time. Before digitization, customers were required to mail documents back and forth or drop applications off in person. The digitization of just four forms is estimated to save the Licensure and Regulatory Services staff 1,336 hours of processing time.

“With all the pressure on local businesses today, we need to do our part to reduce paperwork,” said Councilmember Andrew Friedson. “I wanted to make sure our teams had the tools to rapidly bring services online and make it easier for local business to get back to work.”

“We process thousands of applications and having the process online will be a big improvement for customers,” said Theola Poole, administrative specialist II with Licensure & Regulatory Services. “It will help us to focus more attention on meeting the needs of applicants and we will have more time to answer questions and confirm that correct information is captured. Topping it off is the decrease in paper files that waste resources and take up office space.” 

“These changes will save time for everyone,” said Lauren Fishburn, a volunteer with USDR. “Currently, 75 percent of the forms are filled out manually and returned to the office in person or by mail. This project will save residents money, and it will also help County government save money. The staff will now be able to better collect data on the number of forms they process, the number of forms completed incorrectly, and how much time it takes to process each of the forms. We love seeing this kind of impact at USDR.”

Licensure and Regulatory Services has been piloting the digitization services to select groups that align with the licensing season. Farmers market vendors and organizers were offered the chance to test this new process in April and pool operators were the most recent group to pilot the SeamlessDocs forms. “The digitized [process] is better,” says Brian Ivins, former treasurer of the Twinbrook Pool. He estimates he saved 45 minutes by completing the forms online this year.

All the forms are staged and ready to be released, and Licensure and Regulatory Services will be testing more versions of the forms as the licensure seasons progress and renewals are administered. Next, residents who need temporary food licenses will have the chance to pilot the digitized forms as the County enters the summer festival season.

The next phase of the project is to study how users of the newly digitized forms interact with the system so that Licensure and Regulatory Services can better support each user. In addition, Licensure and Regulatory Services’ website is being redesigned to make information easier to find and to answer questions about the licensing and permitting process. The new site is scheduled to be launched in September. Visit www.montgomerycountymd.gov/licensure for more information.

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Release ID: 21-678
Media Contact: Mary Anderson 240-777-6507