Document Scanning & Records Management for Planning & Building Departments
Plan sets, permits, building records, microfilm, fiche, and aperture cards — digitized, searchable, and easy for your staff and the public to access.
You’ve got plan sets stacked to F-size, decades of permits, and a back room full of microfilm, microfiche, and aperture cards. Add the new plan sets coming in every week, and your records are spread across paper, film, and a doc management system that may be on its last legs.
We turn all of it into clean, searchable digital files your team can pull up in seconds. Whether you need to convert a giant archive, scan new plans day-forward, or both, we handle the work end-to-end — and prep the files to drop right into the systems you already run.
Our digital solutions for planning & building
Most departments come to us with some mix of three things: oversized plans and permits, microform archives, and the need to get everyone (staff and the public) into those records fast. Here’s how we handle each.
Scanning your drawings, plans, permits & archives
From a single back-file conversion to ongoing day-forward scanning, we capture your large-format and standard documents and index them so they’re actually findable.
- Plans up to F-size, supporting documents, bound books, and photos
- High-volume back-file conversion and day-forward scanning
- Custom web-based barcode software so your staff can lower indexing costs and boost accuracy
- Files prepped for Laserfiche, Microsoft SharePoint, Hyland OnBase, Documentum, and more
- Output formats including PDF, PDF/A, JPG, and TIF
- Full imaging, indexing, and data-entry capabilities
Microfilm, microfiche, & aperture card digitization
If your older records live on film, we’ll convert them to whatever fits your project, either in “traditional” digital files or our Digital ReeL solution for film and fiche.
- All types of microfilm, microfiche, and aperture cards
- Hundreds of years of expertise lives within out team … and benefits you when you want a plan
- Customized project options to make sure your department gets the results you need
- Output formats including PDF, PDF/A, JPG, TIF
Hosted access through the Digital ReeL application
Scanning is only half the job — your team and the public still need to get to the records. Digital ReeL gives you a secure online repository, no software to license and no IT lift on your end.
- Search by APN, street address, or other parameters across paper and microform records in one place
- Easy retrieval of permits, maps, and building records by your staff — or by the public over the web
- Secure web portal with IP filtering, user access rights, and audit tracking
- Hosted at two sites for redundancy — so fire, water damage, or a break-in can’t wipe out your records
- No software licensing charges, maintenance fees, or internal IT resources required
Not sure where to start? Get a free records assessment and we’ll map it out with you.
How a project works
Four steps, start to finish. No mystery, no surprises.
- Assess. We look at what you have — plans, permits, film, fiche, aperture cards — and how much of it.
- Scope. We build a plan and a quote covering pickup, scanning, indexing, and delivery.
- Scan & index. We digitize and index everything, with secure chain of custody the whole way.
- Deliver & host. You get files ready for your system, or hosted access through Digital ReeL, whatever fits.
Departments we’ve done this for
Don’t take our word for it. Here’s what clients said after we digitized their records.
➡️ City of San Mateo Community Development Department, CA
“BMI prioritized the scanning and processing of the fiche and put them in Digital ReeL for my team to access. It was so simple and effective. Working with the BMI team as a whole – they were a pleasure to work with.”
— Heather Stewart, Senior Management Analyst
Read the San Mateo case study →
➡️ Livermore Administrative Services Department, CA
“Digital ReeL gives us exactly what we need – simplified access to our large format documents and building records previously archived on physical microfiche sheets. We’re able to quickly email digital copies to our constituents and customers, providing faster service than with previous solutions.”
— Lorraine Purcell, GIS Specialist
Read the Livermore case study →
➡️ City of Gilroy, CA
“BMI helped us digitize roughly 270 boxes of planning, building, and fire prevention files, moving a heavily paper-based operation into a much more accessible digital workflow. Communication was consistent, timelines were met — even under year-end pressure — and the team worked closely with us to figure out the best way to organize and index complex records. The result has been cleaner offices, faster public record access, and far less manual searching for our staff.”
— Monica Maganda, Management Assistant
Frequently asked questions
How do you scan oversized building plans and plan sets?
We handle plans up to F-size on large-format scanners built for this very purpose. Big or small, fragile or bound, we capture it at the resolution you need and index it so it’s easy to find later.
What happens to our paper records after scanning?
Your call. We can securely return everything to you, or arrange secure destruction once you’ve confirmed the digital files are good. Nothing gets disposed of without your sign-off. Check out this article about disposal to learn more.
Can the public access building records and permits online?
Yes, if you want. Our Digital ReeL hosted application lets the public pull permits, maps, and building records over a secure web portal and is searchable by APN or street address, as well as other fields you prefer. Your front counter stops being the only way in, and your staff gets time back.
Does digitizing building records meet state record-retention requirements?
Our digital files are produced to standard archival formats like TIF, JPG, PDF, and PDF/A. We’ll work with your records team to make sure you get the file formats you need.
Can scanned files integrate with our permitting or document management system?
Yes. We’ve prepped files for Laserfiche, SharePoint, OnBase, Documentum, and ApplicationEnhancer, among others. We build the index and file structure so the import is clean and no reformatting on your end.
How much does it cost to scan a building department’s records?
It depends on what you have and how much of it: plans, permits, film, fiche all price differently. The fastest way to a real number is a free records assessment. We’ll scope it and give you a fixed quote, no guessing.
How long does a building records scanning project take?
Depends on volume and media mix, but we’ll give you a timeline up front and stick to it. We can also run day-forward scanning so new plans get digitized as they come in while we work through the archive.
What’s the difference between standard microfilm scanning and Digital ReeL?
Standard scanning gives you flat files (such as PDFs and TIFs), and then you store and manage them yourself. Digital ReeL is a hosted application that recreates the film experience online, with global text search and enhancement capabilities built in. Here’s a full comparison.
Helpful Resources
Just getting started on your digital conversion? These are good places to learn more about scanning projects:
- BMI blogs — plain-language articles about paper scanning, microfilm conversion, secure processes, and more.
- The Digital Imaging Channel — our YouTube channel that gives you long-form videos and shorts all about digitization projects.
- Project Estimator — before talking to anyone, you can see what your project may cost with our estimator tool. Great as a starting point.
Ready to get your plans and permits out of storage?
Tell us what you’ve got. We’ll assess it, scope it, and give you a clear path to digital.
Clients:
Trusted by city and county building, planning, and community development departments across the country.
