Home » Changes To City Of Seattle Building Department, As It Splits In Two

Changes To City Of Seattle Building Department, As It Splits In Two

The city department in charge of land use and building is being split into a department and an executive office of the Mayor.  Photo by K. Lindsay Laney, Aug '15
The city department in charge of land use and building is being split into a department and an executive office of the Mayor. Photo by K. Lindsay Laney, Aug ’15

The City of Seattle will be dividing up its Department of Planning & Development (DPD) in the new year.  With the retirement of DPD Director Diane Sugimura, the department that handles building permits, land use zoning, occupancy, and inspections, will be split in two.  The two new departments will be the Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections and the Office of Planning & Community Development.

  • The Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections (DCI) – Led by Nathan Torgelson (formerly DPD deputy director,) Seattle DCI will primarily include regulatory functions, with a small unit for code development.  This department will handle rental registration, inspections, tenant protection regulations, and enforcement of city codes related to housing, land use and construction.
  • The Office of Planning & Community Development (OPCD) – This executive office will be primarily composed of staff from the City Planning division of the former DPD.  “I’m creating a new office,” said Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, “to integrate all of our priorities and to better coordinate how we grow and invest.”  This office will look at the City’s planning efforts through a lens of race, social justice and economic equity.  The OPCD will be led by Director Sugimura until a new director is chosen in 2016.

Current staff and services of DPD will remain in place for most of 2016, and staff assigned to both departments will continue to work closely to help ensure coordination.  For answers to questions about the organizational structure of DCI, contact Bryan Stevens at bryan.stevens@seattle.gov.  For questions on the organizational structure of OPCD, contact Interim Director Diane.Sugimara@seattle.gov.  Harrietta Hanson will be assisting her, and can also be reached at 206/386-4010.