Lakewood, Ohio

Business Licensing

“Teaming up with Lakewood was a great experience. The team was comprised of exceptional individuals who were not only great to work with but also demonstrated a keen motivation to learn and adapt to our software. Our collaboration resulted in the effective utilization of our software, contributing to enhancing the City’s efficiency in its licensing process.”

Sarah Mallette, Citizenserve Senior Implementation Manager

Background

Lakewood, Ohio, is a key member of the First Suburbs Development Council in Northeast Ohio, situated just west of Cleveland in Cuyahoga County. As the third-largest city in the county, Lakewood boasts a diverse population of approximately 50,000 residents (recent estimates range from 49,500–50,200 as of 2024–2025). The community thrives on a vibrant small business ecosystem, where local enterprises employ about 75% of the city's roughly 12,000 workers, supporting everything from restaurants and breweries to professional services and retail in this dynamic inner-ring suburb.

Challenge

The City of Lakewood manages nearly 4,000 active business licenses, creating a significant annual burden for renewals. Staff spent considerable time and resources on manual tasks—printing thousands of renewal letters, purchasing toner, paper, envelopes, and postage, stuffing envelopes, and processing incoming payments. This inefficient paper-based system was costly, labor-intensive, and prone to delays, prompting the need for a streamlined digital solution to reduce expenses, save staff hours, and simplify the renewal experience for business owners.

Solution

In collaboration with the City of Lakewood, we built fully online applications for all 12 business license types, eliminating the need to print or distribute physical forms and removing manual data entry for incoming submissions. We implemented customizable certificate templates that users could download or receive via email directly from the portal, further cutting printing requirements. The renewal process was automated with reports that identify expiring licenses within selected timeframes, triggering targeted email notifications to holders. Licensees then log into the secure portal, update information as needed, and pay fees online—completely removing the annual mailing of renewal letters and delivering major time and cost savings for both city staff and local businesses.

Outcome

By fully digitizing its business licensing and renewal processes, Lakewood has achieved substantial time and financial savings, eliminating the printing, stuffing, and mailing of thousands of letters each year along with associated costs for paper, envelopes, stamps, ink, and staff labor. Business owners now enjoy a faster, more convenient experience through the online portal, where they can easily check application status, submit updates, and complete payments. Reduced processing times have accelerated approvals, improved efficiency for city staff, and enhanced satisfaction for licensees—demonstrating Lakewood's commitment to modern, cost-effective government services via Citizenserve software.

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Lakewood, Ohio

Join the hundreds of communities using citizenserve®

Join the hundreds of communities
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