Organizational Settings Guide

This section lets you update the organization’s address and contact details. You can also choose which modules to turn on or off and set default map options.

• Municipality: The city, town, or local government jurisdiction responsible for managing the records or service area

• Address: The street address associated with the location, project, or property

• City: The city where the address or location is situated

• State: The state where the address or location is located

• Zip:  The 5-digit ZIP code for the location

• Phone: The primary phone number used for contact or communication related to this record

• Admin Email: The administrative or official email address used for system notifications, account communication, or support

• Do Not Display Name of The Municipality: Check this box if you want to hide the name of the municipality in the header

• Automatic Scheduler: Check this box if you want to use the automatic scheduler, and not the manual one

• Calendar Display: Check this box if you want to display the calendar in a detailed format. For example, display the timeline for a day and expand the event to match the duration

• Automatically Generate Pre-Defined Inspections: Check this box if you want to automatically generate/schedule inspection records that have been defined as a filter for certain records. For example, mechanical permits

• Append City to Location: Check this box if you want to add the city name from the parcel database to the location field after searching for a parcel for creating new records

• Project System: Check this box if you want to make the planning and zoning module available for this container

• Permit System: Check this box if you want to make the permit module available for this container

• Citizen Request and Concern Module: Check this box if you want to make the citizen request and concern module available for this container

• Citation System: Check this box if you want to make the citation system available for this container

• Fire/Safety Inspections: Check this box if you want to make fire/safety inspections available for this container

• Business Licensing: Check this box if you want to make business licensing available for this container

• Mapping System: Check this box if you want to make the mapping system available for this container

• Lat (Latitude): The north-south coordinate used to pinpoint the location on a map

• Long (Longitude): The east-west coordinate used to pinpoint the location on a map

• Zoom Level: Controls how close or far the map appears when displayed

• Display:

  • Street View: Displays a ground-level view of the location, allowing you to see the area as if you were standing there

  • Satellite View: Shows an overhead, aerial image of the location captured by satellite, providing a real-world look at terrain, buildings, and surroundings

• GIS Map Display: Check or uncheck this box to enable or disable display of the GIS map irrespective of whether GIS data is available

• Permits: Shows all permit locations on the map, including active, pending, or completed permits

• Projects: Displays project locations on the map, allowing you to view where the current or planned projects are

• Complaints: Shows complaint records on the map, indicating where each reported issue occurred

• Violations: Displays violations on the map, indicating affected properties or locations

• Licenses: Shows license-related locations on the map, such as licensed businesses or contractors

• All Inspections: Displays every record on the map, regardless of assignment or status

• My Inspections: Shows only the inspections assigned to the logged-in user

Set default invoice options, including default Due Date Calculation.

• Pay Invoice: Check this box to show the pay invoice button

• Activate Invoicing Module: Check this box if you want to use the basic invoicing process for this container. Please note that it may not be possible to turn off this option and go back to using the regular fee payments screen

• Recalculate Fees Automatically: Check this box to automatically recalculate valuation and area-dependent fees whenever one or more of the project cost, project value, and floor area field value(s) is/are changed by the user

• Associate Violation Tickets with Invoices: Check this box to link/associate violation tickets to a particular invoice

• Associate Invoices for Departments: Check this box to print/display, and select from a drop-down, different headers for different departments on the invoices

• Link Fee/Fines to Violation Codes: Check this box if individual violation codes are to be linked with fees/fines. For example, per-day charges.

• Past Due Invoice Days: Number of days after the due date, in which an unpaid invoice will automatically be marked as “PAST DUE”

• Invoice Sent for Collection Days: Number of days after the due date upon which an unpaid invoice will be automatically marked as “Sent For Collection”

• All Modules: Applies the default due-date rule to every type of invoice across all modules in the system

• Permits: Applies the default due-date rule to invoices generated from permit applications, or related fees

• Projects: Applies the default due-date rule to invoices associated with project fees, phases, or project-related billing

• Inspections: Applies the default due-date rule to invoices created for inspection fees or related charges

• Licenses: Applies the default due-date rule to invoices issued for new licenses, renewals, or licensing fees

• Complaints: Applies the default due-date rule for invoices generated from complaint processing or enforcement actions

• Violations: Applies the default due-date rule tied to invoices tied to violation penalties, fines, or corrective-action fees

• Parcels: Applies the default due-date rule to invoices assigned to a specific parcel or property

Manage settings for fees, transactions, and other payment features.

• Associate Payments to Respective Charges: Check this box if you want to associate various payment(s) for a case record to be associated with different fees that have been charged to that record

• Allow Payments from Accounting Module: Check this box to allow payments from the fee/accounting or manage/search screen. This will allow the staff to select multiple records at a time and pay for the selected charges simultaneously with a single payment transaction

• Payment Processor Active: Check this box if this municipality has an active processor account. Example, Mercury. Be very careful while setting up this option, since related accounts have to be set up in the Mercury gateway, and also other interface settings have to be set up with proper compliance and testing before getting this to work properly

• Report Fee Transaction Without Related Charges: Check this box if you want fee/accounting reports to display transactions that do not have any charges associated with them. By default, if you have only payments associated with a transaction, such transactions are not reported

• Payor Info Display: Check this box if you want to display the payor name and payment method in the feed tab of records. Examples include permits, licenses, and violations.

• Allow Only Admins to Void Transactions: Check this box if you want to restrict void fee transactions functionality only to administrators. By default, when this box is not checked, any user who can add/edit fees will be allowed to void fee transactions

• Display Zero Balance On Various Records: Check this box if you want to display zero unpaid balance for various records in the details screen for that record

• Payor Selection Dropdown Display: Check this box if you want to display the payor selection drop-down for printing various invoices

• Auto-send Permit Notification: Check this box if you want to send new permit creation notification to all department members

• Fee Display Order: Check this box if you want to display fees in the order they were entered. If not checked, by default, fees are ordered alphabetically

• Display Transaction Code Sub-code in Fee Output: Check this box to display transaction code in fee output

  • Check this box to display transaction sub-code in fee output

• Rounding of Fee Amounts: From the drop-down menu, you can choose if you want to round fees or not

Customize settings for workflows and record processing. You can allow re-inspections, ignore insurance for approvals, and enter project, permit, and violation numbers manually.

• Record Reject Status: Check this box to change the record status to rejected when even one area in the route rejects it

• Permit Approval

  • Ignore Insurance: Check this box to NOT check for insurance information when approving permits. By default, when this box is not checked, before approving a permit, insurance information will be checked, and if such information is not populated, then a splash warning message window will appear asking for confirmation of the approval process

• Project Approval

  • Ignore Insurance: Check this box to NOT check for insurance information when approving projects. By default, when this box is not checked, before approving a project, insurance information will be checked, and if such information is not populated, then a splash warning message window will appear asking for confirmation of the approval process

• Workflow/Routing Processing: Check this box to use the new routing mechanism for permits processing. By default, when this box is not checked, the existing workflow mechanism will be used

• Use Trade Permits: Check this box to enable trade permits functionality. This will show an additional tab called "trade permits" in the permits module, where questionnaires set up for different trade permits will be used to collect related data

• Allow Re-Inspection

  • For Open Inspections: Check this box to allow open inspections to be re-inspected. The only case this will be used is when big warehouses kind of structures are being inspected in multiple visits, and all such "visits" are to be stored as different inspection records. All of these will be marked open and/or fail/pass as per the case

• Project Number Entry: Check this box to allow manual entry of project number irrespective of the application status

• Permit Number Entry: Check this box to allow manual entry of permit number irrespective of the application status

• Send Email for New Permit Record: Check this box to stop new permit record mail

• Violation Number Entry: Check this box to allow manual entry of the violation number irrespective of the status

Set the numbering schema for new items generated, such as permits, inspections, violations, and auto-numbering.

• Update Auto Numbering: You have to explicitly check this box to make the following number changes to take effect. This way, when you want to update only certain other variables but not change the auto-numbering system, this box will not be checked by default, and hence the numbering in various modules will not be affected

• Auto-Generate Court Ticket Numbers: Check this box if you want to auto-generate court ticket numbers used in the violations module. PLEASE NOTE: You still need to enter a starting ticket value in the box below for court tickets, or check the box indicating you want the computer to decide the starting ticket number

• Permits: Enter the number of permits you want to begin with. You can also check the box to let the computer decide the permits starting number

• Inspections: Enter the number of inspections you want to begin with. You can also check the box to let the computer decide the inspections’ starting number

• Affidavits: Enter the number of affidavits you want to begin with. You can also check the box to let the computer decide the affidavits’ starting number

• General Projects: Enter the number of general projects you want to begin with. You can also check the box to let the computer decide the general projects’ starting number

• Certificates: Enter the number of certificates you want to begin with. You can also check the box to let the computer decide the certificates’ starting number

• Licenses: Enter the number of licenses you want to begin with. You can also check the box to let the computer decide the licenses’ starting number

• Court Tickets: Enter the number of court tickets you want to begin with. You can also check the box to let the computer decide the court tickets’ starting number

• Planning Board Projects: Enter the number of planning board projects you want to begin with. You can also check the box to let the computer decide the project board projects’ starting number

• Zoning Board Projects: Enter the number of Zoning Board Projects you want to begin with. You can also check the box to let the computer decide the Zoning Board Projects starting number

• Violations: Enter the number of violations you want to begin with. You can also check the box to let the computer decide the violations’ starting number

• Complaints: Enter the number of complaints you want to begin with. You can also check the box to let the computer decide the complaints starting number

• Zoning Permits: Enter the number of zoning permits you want to begin with. You can also check the box to let the computer decide the zoning permits starting number

This section allows you to set the expiration dates for permits and projects, as well as the complaint and violation resolution date.

• Permits Expiration Date: Automatically fills in the expiration date for new permits based on your configured time period selected in the drop-down menu

  • Check the box if you want the permit to automatically expire based on an expiration date

• Projects Expiration Date: Automatically assigns an expiration date to newly created projects based on your configured time period selected in the drop-down menu

• Complaint Resolve by Date: Automatically populates the target date by which a complaint should be resolved based on your configured time period selected in the drop-down menu

• Violation Resolve by Date: Automatically sets the expected resolution deadline for newly issued violations based on your configured time period selected in the drop-down menu

Choose whether or not to send processing emails to users for different modules/workflows.

• DISABLE EMAIL: Check this box to disable all system emails and send to the log

• Workflow Emails: Check or uncheck this box to send or not send any processing emails to the users

• Permits Workflow Email: Check or uncheck this box to send or not send regular permit processing emails to the users

• Zoning Permits Workflow Email: Check or uncheck this box to send or not send zoning permit processing emails to the users

• Projects Workflow Email: Check or uncheck this box to send or not send projects processing emails to the users

• Complaints Workflow Email: Check or uncheck this box to send or not send complaints processing emails to the users

• Violations Workflow Email: Check or uncheck this box to send or not send violations processing emails to the users

• Project Inspections Email: Check or uncheck this box to send or not send project inspections processing emails to the users

• Inspections Workflow Email: Check or uncheck this box to send or not send fire/safety inspections processing emails to the users

• Permit Inspections Email: Check or uncheck this box to send or not send permit inspections processing emails to the users

• Complaint Inspections Email: Check or uncheck this box to send or not send complaint inspections processing emails to the users

• Violation Inspections Email: Check or uncheck this box to send or not send violation inspections processing emails to the users

• License Inspections Email: Check or uncheck this box to send or not send license inspections processing emails to the users

• Planning Workflow Email: Check or uncheck this box to send or not send planning board processing emails to the users

• Zoning Appeal Workflow Email: Check or uncheck this box to send or not send zoning appeal processing emails to the users

• Disable Inspection Re-schedule Email: Check this box to disable re-schedule emails to contractor, requestor, or owner

• Settings: Check or uncheck the boxes to enable or disable the following options:

  • Do you want to include just confirmation and no date or time

  • Do you want to include just date and time

  • Do you want to include just the date

This section has various settings for modules.

• Checklist Defaults: Click the radio button to select your checklist default

  • N/A, no, or yes

  • N/R, fail, or pass

  • Not required, incomplete, or complete

• Inspection Display for Calendars

  • Location

  • Type

  • Number

  • Inspector

  • Owner/Occupant

• Display Contractor Name In Inspections: Check this box if the contractor name column is to be displayed in the inspections module search or manage option

• New Dashboard Layout: Check this box if you want to use the new dashboard layout with the map in the buttons area and modules in the top menu

• Select Addressee Forms: Check this box if forms/letters with the "select addressee" feature have been created for this container or area

• Permit Auto Delete: Check this box to auto-delete 3-year-old permits before the current date

• Permit Certificate Number: Check this box if the certificate number to be printed for permit certificates is the same as the permit number

• Inspection Length (In Minutes): In this field, type in your inspection length. By default, every inspection is scheduled for 60 minutes. You can change the default here. Please make sure to specify this number in minutes

• Owner Approval: Check this box if owner approval is needed before approving any application

• Licensed Contractor: Check this box if a licensed contractor selection is required before applying for any permit

• Display ONLY Active Contractors: Check this box to display only contractors that have an active status and not expired insurance

• Zoning Permit: Check this box if a zoning permit is required before applying for any permit

• OTP Flag: Check this box if you want to enable OTP authentication for system/container admin

• Department Show Flag: Check this box if you want to show the department in the citizen request and concerns module and violations module

• Container Show Flag: Check this box if you want to show the container in the manage group and manage department

• Asset Enable Flag: Check this box if you want to show asset management

• Equipment Enable Flag: Check this box if you’re going to show equipment management

• Owner Notification: Select from the drop-down menu how the owner will be notified

  • Do not send a notification email for a new permit

  • Send notification email for new permit

• Parcel Number Generator: Check this box if you provide a parcel number generator on tax parcels

• Project Closure without Fees: Check this box to allow approving or closing a project without any fees

• Save flag: Check this flag to enable the "check this box if you want to save this form”

• Enable Public Records Search: Check this box to enable public records search in the portal

• Display Permits in Public Records Search: Check this box to show permits in public records search when enabled

• Display Complaints in Public Records Search: Check this box to show complaints in public records search when enabled

• Display Violations in Public Records Search: Check this box to show violations in public records search when enabled

• Display Licenses in Public Records Search: Check this box to show licenses in public records search when enabled

• Display Projects in Public Records Search: Check this box to show projects in public records search when enabled

• Is it a CivicPlus instance?: Check this box to show CivicPlus users in the project manager field

Manage settings for certificate creation, inspection validation, and certificate restrictions.

• Permit/Project Certificate Creation: Only allow the creation of a certificate if the application record has been approved and the status is approved. If unchecked, the system will warn that the application has not been approved, but will allow the user to continue.

• Final Inspection Validation: Check this box if final inspection can be marked as passed even when other required inspections have not passed.

• Check this box if the final inspection can be marked as pass even when other existing inspections in the inspection tab of a project have not passed. For failed inspections that have a re-inspection that is marked as pass, the system will use the e-inspection record to determine pass or fail status.

• Certification Restriction: If there are unpaid Fees, do not allow the user to create a certificate.

• Certification Restriction: Allow certificate creation without final inspection

Set mapping logic against permits and projects.

• Project Add Adjacent: Check this box to use the grid east and grid north fields in a parcel record to calculate the area around the subject property

• Use GIS Shape File: Check this box to use the GIS shape file data that allows the user to draw an object, circle, polygon, or line to select the properties as adjacent parcels

• Adjacent/Abutting Properties: Check this box to use the latitude and longitude fields within the parcel record to calculate the adjacent/abutting properties. The latitude and longitude must be provided by the municipality

• No GIS data: Check this box if the customer does not have GIS data, latitude, longitude, or grid east and grid north data

• Parcel Key Data: Choose the following options from the drop-down menu

  • Parcel number

  • Account number

• GIS Key Data: Type in any applicable GIS key data

This section allows you to set inactivation and login timeouts for users and see a user audit trail.

• Inactive Setting (Days): Select from the drop-down menu the number of inactive days after which the system will automatically deactivate a user’s account

• Inactive Setting (Minutes): Enter the number of minutes of inactivity after which the system will automatically log the user out

• Max Unsuccessful Login Attempts: Enter the number of unsuccessful login attempts a user can make before their account is locked

• Login Screen CAPTCHA: Choose from one of the following options from the drop-down menu

  • No, do not display CAPTCHA

  • Yes, display captcha

• Program Status: Select from the drop-down menu if the program status is active, read only, or disabled

• Display Mailing Address: This option is for the format warning screen. Check the box if the mailing address format warning splash screen is to be displayed in the program at appropriate places

• Year-End Report Prefix: Type in year-end report prefix if applicable

• User Audit Trail: Choose from the drop-down menu if you want to keep or do not want to keep the user audit trail

Manage how licenses, notifications, and renewals will expire.

• Automated License: Check this box if you want to use the automated licensing features

• Do all licenses expire on the same date: Select yes or no from the drop-down menu

• Renewal Cycle Override: You can choose a date on which licenses will expire on the same date. You can also click ‘clear’ to clear the date

• Do licenses expire based on license type and use: Select yes or no from the drop-down menu

• License Active Form: Select from the drop-down menu how users will be notified about an expiring license or a license that needs to be renewed. Examples include license expires in 30 days, license expired, and renewal notification

• Do you want to automatically notify license holder of pending expiration: From the drop-down menu, select yes or no

• Notice of pending expiration received 30 days before expiration date: Select from the drop-down menu how users will receive a notice about an expiring license or a license that needs to be renewed. Examples include license expires in 30 days, license expired, and renewal notification

• License Expiration Notice: Select from the drop-down menu how users will be notified about an expired license. Examples include a business license expired, and a license expired

• Form Used for Renewal Process: Select which form you want to use for the license renewal process from the drop-down menu. Options include license renewal form, license food truck form, and license update form

• Form Used for Update Process: From the drop-down menu, choose which form license holders will receive for renewal updates. An example is the license update form

  • Check this checkbox to show the "generate invoice automatically" checkbox in license records

  • Check this checkbox to disable the license renewal process

  • Check this checkbox to create license invoices on the last step for both applications and renewals

It is possible to send a file using Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) by using the Report Settings.

• Server Name: The hostname or IP address of the server your reports will be sent to

• Server Port: The port number used to connect to the server

• Server Username: The login username authorized to access the server

• Server password: The password used with the username for secure authentication to the server

• File Destination Path: The folder or directory on the server where the report files will be uploaded and stored

• Select Reports: Fees

  • Check this box to select “all fees this year to date”

  • Check this box to select “all permit fees current year”

  • Check this box to select “current year to date unpaid property maintenance fees”

  • Check this box to select “current year to date unpaid property maintenance fees by invoice”

  • Check this box to select “current year to date - charged date - unpaid fire inspection fees”

  • Check this box to select “invoices - fire inspections - all transactions”

  • Check this box to select “invoices - fire inspections - unpaid balances”

  • Check this box to select “invoices - fire inspections - unpaid balances 45 days”

  • Check this box to select “invoices - license fees”

  • Check this box to select “invoices - permits and permit inspections”

  • Check this box to select “invoices - violation fines”

  • Check this box to select “JeffCoMo report”

This section allows you to add payment integration information.

• EB2Gov

  • AppName: The application name provided by EB2Gov for your system integration

  • ClientID: A unique identifier assigned by EB2Gov that links your system to payment services

  • Username: The account username used for authentication

  • Password: The secure password associated with your username

  • TCode: A transaction code supplied by EB2Gov that identifies the type of payment or transaction being processed

  • URL: The URL is the endpoint address provided by EB2Gov where your system sends payment requests

• Interware Connect

  • AppName: The application name used by your system to connect to Interware’s services

  • Entity Name: The official name of your organization or municipality as registered with Interware for integration

• CP Pay

  • Client ID: The unique identifier assigned by CP Pay that links your system to the payment platform

  • Client Secret: A secure authentication key provided by CP Pay. It is used together with the Client ID to authorize payment requests

  • URL: The CP Pay endpoint where your system sends payment transactions and requests

By default, inspections marked as “failed” need at least one failed checklist item if a checklist exists. They also need at least one code violation linked to the inspection record. To allow a “failed” status without these requirements, select the checkboxes below for each module.

The modules that allow you to bypass a failed inspection status are listed below. Each module’s corresponding options are also included.

• Modules

  • Allow failed status without code or checklist item

  • Allow failed status require code entry, but not the checklist item

  • Allow failed status requires no code, but requires a checklist

  • Allow failed and require both code tab and checklist item

• Projects

  • Allow failed status without code or checklist item

  • Allow failed status require code entry, but not the checklist item

  • Allow failed status requires no code, but requires a checklist

  • Allow failed and require both code tab and checklist item

• Permits

  • Allow failed status without code or checklist item

  • Allow failed status require code entry, but not the checklist item

  • Allow failed status requires no code, but requires a checklist

  • Allow failed and require both code tab and checklist item

• Complaints

  • Allow failed status without code or checklist item

  • Allow failed status require code entry, but not the checklist item

  • Allow failed status requires no code, but requires a checklist

  • Allow failed and require both code tab and checklist item

• Violations

  • Allow failed status without code or checklist item

  • Allow failed status require code entry, but not the checklist item

  • Allow failed status requires no code but requires a checklist

  • Allow failed and require both code tab and checklist item

• Fire/Safety General Inspections

  • Allow failed status without code or checklist item

  • Allow failed status require code entry, but not the checklist item

  • Allow failed status requires no code, but requires a checklist

  • Allow failed and require both code tab and checklist item

• Business License Inspections

  • Allow failed status without code or checklist item

  • Allow failed status require code entry, but not the checklist item

  • Allow failed status requires no code but requires a checklist

  • Allow failed and require both the code tab and the checklist item

Enable/disable the ability to have multiple inspections scheduled concurrently at the same time, with the same inspector.

• Check the box if you want to allow multiple inspections to be dragged and scheduled for the same time and the same inspector

Enable or disable the status of ‘approved’ for a permit or project if the fee balance is not equal to 0.

• Project: Check the box to not allow project status = approved if the fee balance is not equal to 0

• Permit: Check the box to not allow permit status = approved if the fee balance is not equal to 0

Choose whether or not to notify the requester that an inspection was scheduled and assigned.

• Check the box if you want to notify the requester that an inspection was scheduled and assigned to staff

This screen opens in a new tab and allows you to import Parcel information from a CSV file.

• Import from Rest API: Enables the system to pull parcel data directly from a REST API source instead of a manual upload or other import method

• Download CSV: Downloads a CSV template or data file to your device

• Choose File: Allows you to browse your computer or device, and select a file to upload to the system

• Upload from URL: You can choose to import data by entering a URL that points to a CSV or other supported data files. You can do this instead of uploading a file from your computer

• Specified Path Using FTP: Check this box if you want to choose a file from a specified path using FTP

• Server File Name: Specifies the exact name of the file on your server that the system should access during the import process

This screen opens in a new tab and allows you to import building information from a CSV file.

• Import from Rest API: Enables the system to pull parcel data directly from a REST API source instead of a manual upload or other import method

• Download CSV: Downloads a CSV template or data file to your device

• Choose File: Allows you to browse your computer or device, and select a file to upload to the system

• Upload from URL: You can choose to import data by entering a URL that points to a CSV or other supported data files. You can do this instead of uploading a file from your computer

• Specified Path Using FTP: Check this box if you want to choose a file from a specified path using FTP

• Server File Name: Specifies the exact name of the file on your server that the system should access during the import process