About JobsFirst
Transforming permitting into a system that delivers
Our vision is a Delaware where any developer, municipality, community organization, or business that wants to build something that benefits Delawareans can come to a single front door, submit once, and receive a coordinated, time-bound decision from every relevant state agency — with their project’s status visible to the public every step of the way.
Get started with the accelerator
How the accelerator program works
JobsFirst accelerates Delaware’s old sequential, siloed permitting process — which could stretch 18 to 24 months — with a coordinated, parallel, time-bound system organized in five phases from application through monitoring.
Application
- Applicant submits a JobsFirst Priority Project application.
- The intake team checks the submission for completeness.
Evaluation Governor’s Office
- Eligibility, readiness, and process constraints screening.
- Ombudsman and designated agency permitting point-of-contact comments.
- Priority Project Evaluation Summary prepared.
- Governor preliminary decision. If selected, the project moves to applicant notification.
Applicant Notification Ombudsman
- State agency notification and applicant preliminary notification.
- Preliminary applicant meeting for project planning — anticipated permits, required documentation, Fast Lane checklist confirmation, and project plan development.
- Finalized project plan and official applicant notification.
Permit Submission Applicant
- Applicant submits permits according to the project plan. Goal: all permit applications submitted as close to simultaneous as possible.
- Agencies begin completeness checks. Once all agencies verify completeness, the review clock starts and the applicant is notified.
- Parallel review to the greatest extent possible.
Monitoring Ombudsman & Agencies
- Clock starts and stops based on standard items such as local plan review, applicant follow-up information required, and federal coordination — subject to the project plan.
- Weekly updates: clock start/stop tracking and weekly project updates to the dashboard.
- Monthly updates: 30-, 60-, and 90-day meetings with dashboard updates at each checkpoint.
- Monitoring deadlines: by the 100-day mark, notify the Governor and then the applicant of any project delays.
Eligible accelerator projects
Initial five priority project categories
Housing and Mixed-Use
Broadband Infrastructure
Energy Infrastructure
Water and Sewer
Opportunity Zones
Primary partners
Interagency coordination under JobsFirst
| Agency | Role under EO18 |
|---|---|
| DTI / Broadband Office | Lead for broadband & the Priority Project Dashboard |
| DelDOT | Transportation permitting, road cuts, entrance plans |
| DNREC | Environmental review, wetlands, energy siting |
| DHSS | Public health review for relevant projects |
| DHSA | Housing coordination |
| OSPC | Zoning and comprehensive planning |
| SHPO | Historic preservation clearances |
| Fire Marshal | Fire code and safety reviews |
Have a qualifying project?
Apply for priority designation under JobsFirst.