Planning Department COVID-19 Resource Center

To our valued customers:

 We know these are trying times. Our team is here to support you as you work to support our community.

 From March 15 through June 15, we'll be making available a variety of new, digital-first and virtual services available to ensure that you are able to provide continuous service. Since the City's "Stay at Home" policy is in effect until June 15, these services are for those businesses that are designated as providing essential services. Through this site you'll find all of the digital-first and virtual services now available.

Please know that the safety and security of our staff and customers is our first priority. City staff who may feel ill are being asked to also stay at home for at least 10 days.  As such, our staffing levels may adjust be strained at this time. We have additional staff resources from other departments who are also working to provide emergency support to help us serve better.

Our team is here for you. We value you. We appreciate and thank you for your tireless efforts to support our community during this difficult time. Together - anything is possible.

 Sincerely,

Joe

A limited number of building and planning services are available online to help serve you better. All other building and planning services not listed below are on hold until June 15.

Is your business an essential business? How do you know?

We understand it's difficult for many businesses to understand how the City's Ordinance impacts them. For your convenience, the following is a great resource that can help you quickly determine if your business is an essential business and if it's allowable for you to stay open during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Essential businesses include:

• Hospitals / Medical Facilities / Doctors offices 
• Childcare services / nanny services
• Grocery / Food service / Gas stations
• Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing services
• Transportation (Lyft, Uber, bus providers, etc)
• Veterinary services
• Food service / restaurants -- ONLY IF SERVING FOOD TO GO OR VIA DELIVERY
• Skilled nursing / in home nursing services

Non essential businesses include:

• Hair salons/barber shops
• Tattoo parlors
• Sport facilities
• Retail clothing / apparel / home decor

Need additional help determining if your business is providing essential services? Use this form to tell us more about the types of services you are providing. 

Check here.

Q: If I don't see a service available on this resource page, is it still available?

A: Currently the planning department is prioritizing services deemed emergency services for those businesses that must provide continuous service during the City's stay at home mandate. This site aggregates many of those services, particularly those available in digital-first and virtual ways. The City continues to accept new building permits through its website and make all existing digital services available. Please know that new requests for non-emergency projects will be on hold until at least June 15.

Q: What businesses are determined as providing essential services?

A: Per the City Ordinance issued on March 15 -- essential services include child care facilities, medical facilities and hospitals, grocery stores, gas stations, pharmacies, other businesses providing key services to ensure the continuous operations of those businesses (plumbing, heating/cooling, electrical, construction, maintenance). For a full list of the types businesses that the city has determined to provide essential services see here.

Q: I called the planning department phone number and no one answered? 

A: Our commitment is to ensure we can provide our customers the best possible service. Our team is working remotely in accordance with the City's stay at home ordinance. We have staff monitoring all voicemail boxes routinely and commit to returning all calls within 24 hours. As listed on this page, our modified hours are 9am to 6pm.  For faster service our customers are encouraged to use the following email: CityPlanning@cityofname.gov. This email is monitored by multiple staff members and our commitment is to respond to all emails the same day.