Planning

The Planning Department is responsible for all planning related activities in the City of Sonoma. Key responsibilities  include the following:

• Current planning (processing applications for planning permits, such as use permits, tentative maps, design review and commercial signs and reviewing building permits in order to assure compliance with applicable regulations).
• Long-range planning (updating the General Plan, developing and implementing other planning documents, such as the Bicycle Plan, and working with the Sonoma County Community Development Commission on affordable housing).
• Enforcing the Development Code and sign regulations.
• Maintaining the City’s Geographic Information System, a database-driven mapping system that currently includes information on zoning, basic property characteristics, water and storm drain infrastructure, and the location of flood plains.

Recent and current work of the Planning Department includes policy options for the regulation of vacation rentals, wine tasting rooms, and cannabis, which are described on the Key Initiatives page.