Department Information

The Planning & Community Development Department consists of four divisions that help manage the natural and built environment. The Department does this by preparing and implementing the City’s adopted Comprehensive Plan, reviewing permit applications for compliance with city development codes and regulations, coordinating with external agencies, and providing maps and information to the public.

Planning Division

The Planning Division is actively engaged in policy and code development (long range planning) and in permit processing (current planning).

The Long Range Planning function maintains the City’s Comprehensive Plan and the many related specialized functional plans. Processing development code amendments to implement these plans is also a long range planning function. Staff provide support to the City Council and Planning Commission, including general and specialized land use research, drafting ordinances, policies and programs, and facilitating large-scale and multi-agency projects. Staff are also engaged in economic development and waterfront redevelopment efforts.

The Current Planning function processes permits in accordance with federal, state, and local laws. It also provides staff support to the City Council, Planning Commission and Hearing Examiner. Planning staff serves as land use permit project managers to assess a project’s impact on the environment and compliance with Mukilteo Municipal Code. Staff also serve as the City’s land use code compliance officers, and refer cases as appropriate to other departments or outside agencies. Current land use applications can be found on the Land Use Action Notices webpage.

Permit Center Division

Permit Services oversees the City Hall front counter and reception area. Permit Services Division staff generally is the first contact the public has when conducting business at City Hall, whether in person, over the phone or online.

Permit Services has administrative oversight over the City’s permit process. This includes permit intake and issuance, use of the permit tracking software, system cashiering and assisting customers in understand the permit process. In addition, Permit Services administers the City’s residential, business, commuter and boat launch parking permit programs, coordinates responses to public records requests and maintains property files.

Permit Services staff also serve the administrative support role for the Planning Commission, the Parks & Arts Commission, and Hearing Examiner by noticing, producing, and publishing meeting packets and by drafting Commission Meeting minutes.

Building Division

The Building Division reviews building permits and inspects new construction to ensure development complies with the relevant codes and approved plans and is constructed in a safe manner. Led by the Building Official, the Division assists the public by answering questions regarding building code requirements and construction best practices. The Building Official works in close coordination with the City Fire Marshal and Planning and Engineering staff.

The Building Official is also responsible for the City’s street addressing program, and for investigating complaints regarding illegal, unsafe and non-code-compliant structures.

Geographic Information System (GIS) Division

GIS is a software tool which allows the City to publish maps, identify coordinates, manage assets, analyze infrastructure needs and gaps, and create 3-D graphics. GIS is utilized extensively by internal City users and externally by the public.

The GIS Division is responsible for providing the following mapping services:

• Supporting routine inspection and maintenance of the City’s Stormwater Utility (in order to meet National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit requirements);
• Supporting Public Works in performing georeferenced City asset inventories and to manage those assets and to meet federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), street signage, and other requirements;
• Making GIS mapping in a user-friendly form available to all City staff, without the need to provide additional GIS software and training; and,
• Public GIS maps through the City’s website that are available to the public 24/7.

Planning & Community Development Staff