Permits & plan review
Online or office applications, automatic routing to zoning, building and fire review, corrections, and one-click permit issuance with required inspections created for you.
Built for small towns, villages & townships
Permits, inspections and code compliance — finally simple.
One system for your building department: online applications, plan review, fees, inspections, fire safety schedules, operating permits and complaints — with your state and Census reports compiled for you.
- Live in about a week — we set it up and import your records
- Inspectors work from an iPhone, even with no cell signal
- One login for a code officer who serves several municipalities
Choose your state to see availability and how Towpath handles your state's requirements.
All municipalities (3) ▾
Inspections today3
Awaiting review5
Fire safety overdue4
Fees (YTD)$11,927
Upcoming inspections
Today AMFraming · 80 Bluff Point RdScheduled
Today PMFire Safety · Hillcrest DinerScheduled
TomorrowFinal / C.O. · 130 Canal StRequested
TomorrowComplaint · 58 Water StScheduled
State code complianceSet up for your state
Works offlineNative iPhone app
Multi-municipalityShared code officers welcome
State & Census reportsPre-filled for you
Your dataExport anytime
The problem
Small code offices carry big requirements
State building codes ask every municipality to track permits, inspections, certificates, stop-work orders, complaints, periodic fire safety inspections and operating permits — and many states require an annual report on all of it.
Most small towns and villages do that with a part-time code officer, paper files, spreadsheets, or desktop software that hasn't changed in years. Enterprise systems are priced and built for big cities.
- Paper and spreadsheets that make the annual report a scramble
- Fire safety inspections that quietly fall overdue
- Phone tag to schedule inspections and collect fees
- No signal at the job site, so notes get re-typed at the office
- One code officer, several towns, juggling separate files and fee schedules
Features
Everything your building department does, in one place
Designed for small municipalities — simple enough for a part-time office, complete enough for compliance.
Inspections in the field
Inspectors get their route on an iPhone with checklists, photos and on-site signatures. No signal? Keep working — results upload automatically when you're back in range.
Fire safety schedule
Every assembly space, multiple dwelling and commercial building on its required cycle, with overdue and due-soon alerts so nothing slips.
Operating permits
Track hazardous-use, public assembly and seasonal permits, expiration dates and renewals in one list.
Complaints & enforcement
Log complaints, schedule investigations, issue and print notices of violation and orders, and keep a full case history.
Reports, done for you
Your state's annual report figures and the Census Bureau's monthly building permit survey (C-404), compiled automatically from your records.
Fees & payments
Fees calculated from your fee schedule. Record checks and cash, or let applicants pay online.
Documents
Building permits, Certificates of Occupancy and Compliance, and violation notices — generated and ready to print or email.
Public portal
Residents and contractors apply, check status and request inspections online — fewer phone calls for your clerk.
Your state
Your state's code requirements, built in
Every state runs building code enforcement its own way. Towpath is set up state by state, with the permit types, inspection cycles, forms and reports your state requires.
| Part 1203 area | How Towpath handles it |
|---|---|
| Building permits | Applications, plan review, fees, issuance and expiration tracking |
| Construction inspections | Required inspections created per permit type; results with checklists and photos |
| Stop-work orders | Issue, track and lift — flagged on the inspector's phone |
| Certificates of Occupancy / Compliance | Issued only when required inspections pass; printable certificate |
| Fire safety & property maintenance inspections | Recurring schedules by occupancy type with overdue alerts |
| Operating permits | Issuance, conditions, expiration and renewal tracking |
| Complaints | Intake, investigation, notices and orders, resolution |
| Truss-type construction | Flagged on permits and checked at final inspection |
| Recordkeeping | Complete history and audit trail for every permit, property and case |
| Annual report to the Department of State | Figures compiled automatically, with a printable summary |
Towpath helps you meet these requirements; your code enforcement officer remains responsible for code determinations.
Field app
Built for basements, back roads and dead zones
Rural areas don't always have a signal. The Towpath iPhone app downloads the day's inspections with checklists, permit details and inspection history at the address — so inspectors can work anywhere.
- Pass / fail checklists for every inspection type
- Photos and on-site signatures attached to the result
- Failed items automatically create a reinspection
- Everything saves on the phone and uploads when back in range
- Directions and one-tap calling to the contractor
Shared code officers
One login for every municipality you serve
In many small communities, one code officer covers a town and its villages — or several municipalities at once. Towpath keeps each municipality's fees, permit numbers, documents and reports separate, while the officer sees one combined schedule.
Shared-officer arrangements get a multi-municipality discount.
Town of Harmony HillsHH-2026-####
Village of Millbrook FallsMF-2026-####
Town of Cedar RidgeCR-2026-####
One officer · one schedule · three sets of records
Online payments · optional
Collect permit fees online — deposited straight to your municipality
Applicants and contractors pay permit, inspection and operating-permit fees by card or bank transfer from the public portal. Funds go directly to your municipality's bank account through our payment partner — Towpath never holds your money.
- Card and ACH bank transfer, with automatic emailed receipts
- Payments post to the permit instantly — no re-keying
- Checks and cash still recorded in the same ledger
- Deposit reports that reconcile with your bank statement
- Your choice: the municipality absorbs processing, or the applicant pays an online service fee where permitted
Transparent for your board
Online payment processing is billed at our payment partner's cost plus a small platform rate, set out in your agreement and itemized on a monthly statement.
Example monthly statement
Online fees collected$12,480.00
Payment processingitemized
Platform rateitemized
Deposited to your accountnet of the above
Online payments are optional. Many towns start with check and cash only and add online payments later.
Founding Municipality Pilot
Your first year is free
We're partnering with a small group of towns, villages and townships to shape Towpath. Founding municipalities get the full product free for 12 months — with setup and data migration included.
- Full product for 12 months, no cost
- We load your fee schedule, parcels and existing records
- Staff training and direct support from our team
- No obligation to continue — keep a full export of your data
- Founding-member pricing locked in if you stay
Limited spots for the 2027 building season. Pilots start on your schedule — winter setup is ideal.
- 20-minute callWe learn how your office works today.
- We set it upYour municipality, fees, parcels, permit types and staff.
- One-hour trainingClerk and code officer, in person or online.
- Go liveTypically about a week from kickoff.
Pricing
Simple annual pricing, after your free year
Unlimited staff users, the iPhone app, the public portal, setup and support — all included. No long-term contracts.
Village / Small Town
Population under 2,500
$2,400/year
- Everything included
- Unlimited users
- Email & phone support
Most common
Town
Population 2,500 – 10,000
$4,800/year
- Everything included
- Unlimited users
- Priority support
Larger Town / City
Population 10,000 – 25,000
$8,400/year
- Everything included
- Unlimited users
- Dedicated onboarding
🤝 Shared code officer? Each additional municipality served by the same officer is discounted.
🧾 Priced to fit within most small municipalities' purchasing thresholds — check your procurement policy.
💳 Optional online payments: processing at our payment partner's cost plus a small platform rate, itemized monthly. How it works
🎁 Founding municipalities pay nothing for the first year. See the pilot
FAQ
Questions from code offices
What happens after the free pilot year?
Nothing happens automatically. Before your year ends we'll review how it went with you. If you want to continue, you move to the annual plan for your population at founding-member pricing. If not, you keep a complete export of your records.
Does the iPhone app really work without a signal?
Yes. The day's inspections, checklists and property details are stored on the phone. Results, photos and signatures save on the device and upload automatically when a connection returns.
Our code officer serves more than one municipality. Does that work?
That's exactly what Towpath is designed for. Each municipality keeps its own fees, numbering, documents and reports, and the officer works from one combined schedule.
Can you bring over our existing records?
Yes. We import from spreadsheets and common formats as part of setup, and load parcel data from your county's real property records.
Do we need IT staff?
No. Towpath runs in a web browser and on iPhone. We handle hosting, updates and backups.
How do online payments reach our bank account?
Each municipality gets its own account with our payment partner, linked to your bank. Payments are deposited to you directly on a regular schedule; Towpath never holds municipal funds. Processing and the platform rate are itemized on your monthly statement.
Who owns our data?
You do. You can export all of your records at any time, during the pilot or after.
What about electrical inspections by third-party agencies?
Permit checklists include a step to confirm the third-party electrical certificate is on file before final inspection.
Which states do you support?
Use the state menu at the top of the page. It shows which states are available now and which are coming soon, and lets you request Towpath for your state.
Get started
Book a demo or apply for a pilot
See Towpath with your own municipality's permit types in 20 minutes — online, or in person at your town hall.
- ✉️ email us