Planning, inspection offices merge

The Bismarck Planning and Development Department and the Building Inspections Division have been reorganized into the Community Development Department.

The new Community Development Department will have two divisions - Building Inspection and Planning. These will be supervised by Carl Hokenstad, director of Community Development.

Both divisions will continue to be located on the second floor of the City-County Building and will operate in much the same way as they have for the past few years. Phone numbers and contact information will remain the same.

The Building Inspections Division, managed by Ray Ziegler, is responsible for the enforcement of the building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical and fuel gas codes for the city of Bismarck and 13 townships in Burleigh County.

That division's services include building construction plan reviews. It also processes permits and inspection for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing, condemnations, moving of structures, manufactured home installations, sign permits, certificates of occupancy, creating property addresses, zoning enforcement and flood plain management.

The Planning Division, managed by Kim Lee, administers land use regulations for the city of Bismarck and portions of Burleigh County, the Community Development Block Grant and Home programs for the city, and Renaissance zone and CORE programs for the city.

The division serves as staff support for the City Planning and Zoning Commission, the Burleigh County Planning Commission, the Renaissance Zone Authority and the Board of Adjustment.

In this role, the division also coordinates the application process for major and minor subdivision plats, zoning changes, annexations, special use permits, variances, lot modifications and plat modifications.

Information for both the Building Inspections and Planning can now be found under the Community Development Department at www.bismarck.org. For more information, call 355-1840.