The planning department is the municipal organizational unit responsible for land use planning, development review, and guiding community growth. Department functions include preparing long-range plans and zoning bylaws, processing development applications, providing planning advice to council and committees, conducting community engagement on planning matters, and coordinating with other departments on growth-related issues. Planning departments range from small teams in rural municipalities to large divisions in major cities with specialized sections for policy, current planning, heritage, and urban design. Department structure and naming varies, sometimes combined with building inspection, engineering, or economic development functions.