Governor’s task force unveils sweeping permitting reform
- The San Juan Daily Star
- 8 hours ago
- 3 min read
By THE STAR STAFF
The Task Force for the Simplification of the Permitting System, created under Executive Order 2025-002, has presented its Final Report to Gov. Jenniffer González Colón, outlining a sweeping reform of the island’s permitting framework.
The plan aims to modernize processes, reduce delays, and position Puerto Rico as a competitive destination for business.
The report is the culmination of months of interagency collaboration and technical analysis. It diagnoses structural inefficiencies and proposes 17 specific recommendations aimed at creating a permitting system that is agile, transparent and aligned with market realities.
Among the most transformative measures is the creation of a Permitting Code that consolidates more than 45 laws and 46 regulatory instruments into a single, coherent framework. The move seeks to eliminate redundancies and contradictions that have long plagued the system.
The governor on Wednesday underscored the urgency of the reforms:
“This report puts us on track to fulfill the promise we made to the people to transform and simplify the permit application process,” she said. “A modern, agile, and transparent permitting system is fundamental to attracting the investment our island needs to foster true sustainable economic development.”
The task force’s proposals go beyond legal consolidation. They include adopting a new Joint Regulation to standardize processes, implementing a Consolidated Construction Permit for simultaneous evaluation and digital validation of plans, and modernizing the Single Business Portal to integrate agency platforms and enable automated payments.
Other recommendations focus on empowering accredited professionals and delegating ministerial permits to “Authorized Professionals,” ensuring traceability and technical validation through digital systems. Zoning reforms are also on the table, with simpler schemes based on land-use intensity and rural-urban transects, as well as promoting self-certification for low-risk procedures.
Economic Development and Commerce Secretary Sebastián Negrón Reichard framed the initiative as a turning point.
“With these reforms, we are sending a clear message to the world: Puerto Rico is open for business, and the government is here to facilitate, not hinder,” he said.
The task force identified five structural issues driving delays: fragmented legal frameworks, complex processes, digital and operational disconnection among agencies, limited human capital, and excessive preventive controls. Those inefficiencies have led to permit approvals taking up to 18 months and environmental assessments stretching beyond 500 days.
Efficiency Coordinator Verónica Ferraiuoli Hornedo highlighted that addressing those issues effectively “is part of the commitments of Jenniffer’s administration’s Government Program.”
She noted that while the full implementation of reforms will take time, progress is already visible. The backlog of Single Permits has been cleared, interagency response times have dropped, and artificial intelligence is being integrated to validate documents. Inspections for low-risk home offices have been eliminated, and new regulations governing professionals are in place, the efficiency coordinator said.
Office of Permit Management Assistant Secretary Norberto Almodóvar Vélez summed up the governing administration’s vision for the transformation of the island’s permitting structure.
“The system must allow for a more precise differentiation between simple and complex procedures, concentrating the state’s technical resources on high-impact cases,” he said.
The officials said the report now serves as a roadmap for execution -- a critical phase that will determine whether Puerto Rico can finally shed its reputation for bureaucratic inertia and embrace a future of streamlined governance and economic dynamism.