The City of Duluth is working with our partners at the city, county, state and federal levels to monitor the worldwide outbreak of the coronavirus known as COVID-19. The City will continue to take steps to keep residents, staff and contractors healthy, safe and informed.

The Department of Planning and Development will be staffed with limited employees and closed to the public until further notice. A limited staff will be available during normal business hours to answer questions by phone at 770-476-1790.

Applying for Permits

All permit applications must be applied for through email at permits@duluthga.net. Permits can be found by clicking the “Permits & Applications” link above.  Plans can be uploaded onto the City’s sharefile at the following link: https://duluthga.sharefile.com/r-rf0cfaf9a0f84e41a. After receiving a complete application, staff will respond to the applicant with the permit number, comments and applicable fees. 

Paying permit fees

After the permit is received and reviewed, staff will provide the applicant with the applicable fees. Fees may be mailed in to City Hall or paid online by using the following link to pay for your permit: https://duluthga.demositegw.com/start.html

The above link will direct you to the Online Payment website. For permit fees, click on the “Planning Activity” option. Once routed to the “Planning Activity” page, type in the amount due in the “Price” box and click “Add to Cart”. You must fill in the Contractor’s Name, Project Address and Permit Number. Once all of the fields are filled in, click on “Add to Cart”.

Click on “View Cart”. Click on “Checkout”. Fill in the applicable payment information and click “Process $ Payment”.

Requesting an Inspection

The City will continue to perform inspections in a variety of ways. When feasible, inspections will be conducted through photo, video or video chat(FaceTime, Skype, etc.) to limit exposure to potentially unsafe situations. While interacting with the public, inspectors are being asked to maintain the Centers for Disease Control recommended distance of six feet from people as much as is practical and when needed will be using face and eye protection.

Inspection requests are still to be made using the Inspection Request Line at 770-497-5333. The Building Official will contact you to schedule the inspection, make a determination on whether the inspection will be done through digital means or in person and provide instructions on how to conduct the digital inspection or prepare for an on-site inspection.

Thank you for your cooperation during this time. 

Bill Aiken
Director of Planning and Development

The Planning & Development Department is dedicated to providing the highest level of quality customer service to the residents, businesses, and visitors of Duluth.  In addition to the areas of responsibility below, this department is responsible for:

• Managing applications for land use changes and modifications
• Enforcing city codes and ordinances
• Reviewing Plans
• Issuing Permits
• Conducting Inspections
• Providing  transportation planning management
• Supporting marketing and local events
• Verifying site and hydrology compliance

The Department performs these duties with the assistance of the City’s ordinances and regulations, the elected officials, citizens, developers, builders, city employees and sometimes the expertise of outside agencies. The Planning and Development Department also oversees the City's Comprehensive Plan and coordinates long-range planning efforts with other government agencies at the County, State, and Federal levels.

Our Mission
Planning & Development is committed to building up the City of Duluth while improving the quality of life for current and future citizens, businesses, and visitors.

Areas of Responsibility

• Building Inspection
• Capital Improvement Project Administration
• Code Compliance
• License Compliance
• Engineering
• General Permitting Activities
• Planning
• Redevelopment Administration
• Site Development Inspections
• Stormwater Inspections and Maintenance
• Transportation Planning
• Zoning

Contact Information and Hours of Operation
Contact us by using the email list below or by telephone at 770-476-1790. Visit us in person during regular City Hall business hours, Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.

Personnel

Department Administration
Planning & Development Director: Bill Aiken
Administrative Assistant: Carol Hill

Planning Division
Senior Planner: Dan Robinson
Planner & GIS Specialist: Forrest Huffman

Compliance Division
Code Compliance Officer: Shelley Shepphard
Code Compliance Officer: Liz Bradshaw
Code Compliance Officer: Marcus Head
License Compliance Officer: John Compton

Engineering Division
City Engineer: Margie Shames Pozin

Building and Development Division
Building Official: Joe Stapleton
Development Coordinator: Layla Corley

Stormwater Division
Stormwater Program Manager: Joshua Arnold
Stormwater Administrative Assistant: Rhonda West
Assistant City Engineer: Heike Slinin