The ADAPT Framework
Archistar Digital AI Permitting Transformation
A special report for trust-based AI assessment in municipalities
Learn about Archistar’s six-level model for how much decision authority a city or county can delegate to an AI platform when reviewing permit applications: from fully manual review to calibrated, auditable automation.
- Introduction: the real problem is not technology
- A shift in thinking: from automation to decision authority
- What do we mean by trust?
- Level-by-level breakdowns, from 0 through 5
- How cities, counties, and municipalities build trust: the ADAPT adoption pathway
- Governance questions cities, counties, and municipalities ask first
Free report
Discover the full framework and adoption pathway.
The real problem is not technology
Governments have spent two decades digitizing planning and building approvals: PDFs instead of paper, portals instead of counters. Yet the pressures on planning and building departments keep mounting. A city, county, or municipality’s decision to approve a building has never hinged on what software it owns: Approvals rest on trust—in the process, the evidence, the rules, and the decision itself.
The ADAPT framework formalizes the concept of trust into a clear, defensible pathway, from fully manual assessment to AI-assisted approvals, built around one question: How much does the city, county, or municipality trust the system to participate in, and ultimately make, regulatory decisions? That’s what AI in digital transformation means for permitting. It’s not a new tool on top of the old process, but a shift in who (or what) holds decision authority.
Six levels, from no authority to institutional trust
Each level is the building block for the next. Authority is earned rule by rule and project type by project type—never all at once.
Manual Processing
No authorityHuman reviewers only. The system is recordkeeping: Interpretation and judgment are entirely manual.
Basic Digital
No authorityPDF intake, document management, and workflow. Process trust, not decision trust: All decisions remain manual.
Assisted PDF Checking
Flags gapsCompleteness and consistency checks flag what’s missing before submission. All decisions remain manual.
AI PreCheck for Guidance
AdvisesAI analysis is a nonbinding advisor, identifying risks and likely noncompliance. The reviewer stays the final arbiter.
Collaborative AI PreCheck
CollaboratesA shared source of truth for the city, county, or municipality and applicant. Most issues resolve pre-submission. AI handles analysis; humans handle judgment.
Calibrated AI PreCheck
Trusted to validateReviewer on the loop, not in the loop. Automation calibrated by the city, county, or municipality, from 0% to 100%, auditable and defensible.
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Questions, answered
What is the ADAPT framework?
The Archistar Digital AI Permitting Transformation (ADAPT) framework is a six-level model (Levels 0–5) that describes how much decision authority a city, county, or municipality delegates to a system in building and planning approvals, from fully manual review to calibrated, auditable automation.
What role does AI play in digital transformation for permitting?
AI in digital transformation for permitting isn’t mainly about which tool a department buys: It’s about how much decision authority a city, county, or municipality is willing to delegate to that tool. The ADAPT framework maps that shift across six levels, from a system with no authority at Level 0 to calibrated, auditable automation at Level 5.
Who is this report for?
Planning and building officials, permitting technology leads, and elected officials at cities, counties, and municipalities evaluating how (and how fast) to adopt AI-assisted plan review, along with the governance questions that come with it.
Does adopting AI mean giving up human oversight?
No. The framework is built around the opposite idea: Authority is delegated rule by rule and project type by project type. Every delegation is scoped, audited, and reversible. Human oversight is redefined, not removed, even at the highest level of maturity.
What does the report cover?
It covers the trust rationale behind the framework, a level-by-level breakdown of Levels 0 through 5, how roles evolve for applicants, reviewers, the permitting system and the AI, the adoption pathway cities, counties, and municipalities use to earn trust, and an appendix of governance questions: legal responsibility, public records, appeal rights, equity, and code-change management.
Is this legal advice?
No. The report is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Cities, counties, and municipalities should consult their own counsel on applicable law and procurement decisions.