Planning & Development Services

The Planning & Development Services Department (PDS) is responsible for managing land use policy planning and land use regulations and for ensuring that land development in Snohomish complies with the policies, regulations, and standards established by the City Council.

PDS Mission


Our mission is to protect and enhance the quality of life enjoyed by Snohomish residents. We will treat all of our customers equally with fairness and respect, using open and transparent processes.

Department Divisions


PDS is comprised of Planning, Building and Permitting divisions. The following primary services are included in their responsibilities.
  • Permitting: Staff manages the intake, review, tracking, and issuance of development permits for land use, construction, and engineering permits, and provides customer assistance at the public information counter.
  • Land Development and Construction Services: Staff reviews land use and development permits for compliance with environmental, land use, and building regulations.
  • Building Inspection: Staff conducts site visits to ensure compliance to City regulations, standards, and conditions of approval as development projects progress to completion.
  • Long-Range Planning: Staff maintains land use policy documents and development regulations and conducts special projects at the direction of the City Council.
  • Code Enforcement: Staff conducts investigations and takes legal steps to achieve compliance with adopted land use and development codes.
PDS serves as staff to the Planning Commission, Design Review Board, and Hearing Examiner.

Additional Responsibilities


PDS is also responsible for the following:
  • Annexations
  • Home occupations
  • Mapping

Message from the Director:


Typically, a resident will call me to voice their disapproval of a development project when shovels are already in the ground. That’s too late for anything to be done to modify the project to address the resident’s issues.

Residents who are more tuned in to city activities will sometimes call me to voice their disapproval of a proposed development after an application has been submitted and city staff is reviewing the plans for conformance with the City’s Land Use Development Code. For the most part, even this is too late to change the course of the project or to modify the proposal to address the resident’s concerns.

For those who care about how Snohomish develops the time to get involved is when the Planning Commission is considering amendments to the City’s Land Use Development Code (Title 14 of the Snohomish Municipal Code).

Every year the Planning Commission considers 4-6 ordinances that will directly affect what development will look like in Snohomish. Each time, they hold a public hearing to provide the public an opportunity to weigh in on the proposals. This is best the time for residents to get engaged and to voice their opinions on the proposed new development rules. This is the most effective and timely way to influence how development will occur in Snohomish.

The Commission will consider all testimony and staff recommendations before passing on a recommendation to the City Council. In turn, the City Council will hold its own public hearing on the proposals. This is the second best time for residents to step up to let the city know how they think development in the city should occur.

Please feel free to contact me via email or at 360-282-3173 to find out how you can be involved in helping direct the course of development in Snohomish.

Glen Pickus
Glen Pickus, AICP
Planning Director