Zoning Board of Appeals hearings in Boston will be extended to a full day every two weeks beginning Aug. 5 in a change designed to reduce the backlog of cases.

The hearings will take place every other Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Mayor Martin Walsh announced.

Currently, many appellants wait up to six months for the next available hearing date.

"This is the first in a set of steps residents will see aimed at improving the overall permitting experience in Boston," Walsh said in a statement.

The seven-member ZBA is appointed by the mayor and rules on variances to the zoning and building codes.