In response to years of complaints about time-consuming bureaucratic red tape, Honolulu's Department of Planning and Permitting recently adopted new procedures that allow some building permit applications to be filed and paid for online.

Of the roughly 15,000 permits issued annually in Honolulu, 3,500 are processed online, said City Planning and Permitting Director Henry Eng.

"We're trying to make it more user-friendly," he said.

Traffic on the department's Web site more than tripled to 1.8 million hits last month, from 504,520 hits in January 2005, Eng said.

City Information Technology Director Gordon Bruce said a big step forward with the Web and permitting came with the ability of consumers to apply and pay for simple residential projects online. They include solar, simple electrical, plumbing and air conditioning for residential dwellings.

Eng said the lines for submitting permit applications in person have become shorter. In addition to the new online filing option, the department has added a staff member to help guide applicants through the city's permitting process.

In addition, permit applicants can now go to the department's Web site, www.honoluludpp.org, to check on the wait times in the lines at the permitting offices. Applicants can see what number is being served so they can head to the permitting office in time to be called.

"You can watch online how close it is to your number," Eng said. "This allows you to do some work while you're waiting."

Another step the city has taken to smooth the permitting process is to allow permit applicants to hire someone to do a pre-approval for their project.

But Eng said the lines won't be eliminated. "There's a wide range of reasons why people wait," he said, depending on if the person in front of you has a complicated project to process or just a permit to put up a fence.

And Eng said sometimes projects get hung up outside the city process, getting stalled with contractors or consultants.

The city also is working on a Permit Counter Appointment System — so consumers can "schedule appointments" with permit counter clerks so they don't have to wait in line.

Bruce said the city is still looking at other ways to improve the Web site at www.honolulu.gov, comparing what other cities offer and seeing how the site can better serve people

"We're looking at online services, and looking at other systems to see if they can be webified, if you will," Bruce said.

He said the city took a big step forward in information technology with a new $10 million project that replaced some 30-year-old systems.

Bruce said improvements helped Honolulu win recognition among cities of 250,000 or more. The Center for Digital Government's 2007 Digital Cities Survey ranked Honolulu eighth in the category of "American cities that excel in the digital arena."