The Planning Department plans and oversees new development and redevelopment plans; creates policy for land use; and regulates, monitors and enforces County Zoning Ordinance, Subdivision, Surface Mining, Neighborhood Preservation, and other ordinances.  The Planning Department performs municipal-type land use regulation functions for unincorporated areas of the county, ensuring compatible land use for the nearly 136,000 citizens within its jurisdiction. The Planning Department  protects and enhances the quality of life in our communities by: 

• Creating specific area and general plans with community participation, thus guiding the development and conservation of the county's unincorporated areas.
• Planning and building existing and new communities utilizing in-house policy, environmental assessment and site design review expertise.
• Enforcing the General Plan and the zoning ordinance and responding to citizen-initiated concerns about land use.