Development Services

The Public Works Development Services (PWDS) section administers the City's municipal water, sewer, stormwater, and transportation infrastructure related to private development activity. Primary services provided by PWDS staff include public information, land use, plan review, permitting, and inspection services for development projects.

PWDS is located in the Permit Application Center at City Hall, Room 320, and provides a full range of services during normal working hours (for directions click here). If you would like more information about our services, please feel free to follow the links below. Because most development projects have unique complexities, impacts, and needs, customers and concerned citizens are encouraged to contact PWDS staff at any stage of a development project if they have any questions.

PWDS endeavors to balance the needs of all stakeholders in the development process to provide maximum benefit and minimize negative impacts to the community. As a result, there are many advantages to developing in Salem:

Site Development Fee - Most development permitting is funded through a Site Development Fee (SDF). The SDF is: (1) simple to calculate for ease of budgeting by the developer; (2) collected at the time of construction permit issuance when construction funding is in place; and (3) a one-time fee that reduces multiple visits to City Hall every time a new fee is due.

Project Managers - PWDS will assign a project manager to a development project from the beginning to end. Project managers are engineers and technicians who are knowledgeable in all aspects of development to ensure continuity throughout all stages of a development project.

PMOD (Project-Manager-of-the-Day) - Because developers make financial decisions based on information provided by PWDS staff, incomplete or inaccurate information can have devastating consequences. We always have a highly qualified project manager available at the counter or by telephone to answer developer questions. Critical development issues are analyzed regularly by a team of project managers to ensure accuracy and consistency.

Immediate Inspections - For a modest additional fee, specific inspections by PWDS staff will be performed within two hours of your phone call during normal business days and hours. Immediate inspections reduce construction expenses by allowing contractors to demobilize more quickly and reduce traffic impacts for motorists by expediting trench backfill.

Neighborhood Coordination - PWDS staff provide regular project status updates to neighborhood associations to improve the flow of information between developers, neighbors, and City staff.

10-Day Expectation - All plan review applications are tracked by PWDS staff against a 10-day expectation. Most plan review comments are returned to developer representatives within 10 working days, enabling design professionals to more efficiently schedule staffing and project completion.

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