Who’s in charge of running the city every day? The City of Asheville has 20+ departments that keep things running smoothly – From garbage pickup to street maintenance and public transit to historic preservation. Chances are that you benefit every day from the work they do, but you may not know what, exactly, that work consists of – or who to call if you have a question about anything from snow removal to bike lockers.
We’re highlighting 10 city departments so you can see what Asheville’s Departments and Divisions are all about. Plus, to help you find out who to call for issues like malfunctioning street lights, hard-to-recycle waste, help with child car seat installation + more.
🏘 Community + Economic Development | (828) 232-4505 | City Hall, 70 Court Plaza, 5th floor
What they do: Promote Asheville’s economic development as well as the sustainable growth of communities, in areas like affordable housing, supporting + promoting minority business, redevelopment projects in the South Slope and the riverfront + more. This department also oversees the U.S. Cellular Center, outdoor special events, like festivals, and the city’s public art collection. Protip: Have a business that you’d like to create in Asheville? Check out resources for local development, including funding opportunities, here.
🏢 Development Services | (828) 259-5846 (Main line); Inspection line (828) 259-5946 | 161 S. Charlotte St.
What they do: Trying to open a new business or build a new home? This department handles permitting + zoning for new properties and businesses (commercial as well as residential), building + property inspections, fire and water inspections, and maintains the housing code to ensure residences are safe + habitable.
⚖ Equity and Inclusion | (828) 232-4517
What they do: The department’s director works to ensure fair access + opportunities for citizens according to guidelines including the Government Alliance for Race and Equality’s (GARE) racial equity framework. Advises on policy shifts and updates that advance equity in the city. Supported by the Human Relations Commission.
👨🚒 Fire | (828) 259-5636 | 100 Court Plaza
What they do: The fire department is best known for fire safety + rescue, responding to around 19,000 calls every year. While a little over half of those calls are fire-related, the rest are in response to other emergencies, including hazardous materials, special rescues + medical care. DYK: All Asheville firefighters are also trained as EMTs? They’ll also walk you through (and help you install) your child’s car seat.
⛲ Parks + Recreation | (828) 259-5800 | City Hall, 70 Court Plaza, 4th floor
What they do: As the name suggests, this department maintains park facilities and recreation centers (including the municipal golf course, swimming pools + Splashville) in town. They also offer community programs, including athletic programs like softball, flag football + basketball, for adults + kids, and handle picnic shelter reservations (for your next family reunion or fall cookout). Protip: Use their searchable map to find parks, rec centers, dog parks, climbing walls, gyms + more.
🌆 Planning and Urban Design | (828) 259-5830 | City Hall, 70 Court Plaza, 5th floor
What they do: Ensure healthy, safe neighborhoods; provide responsible and sustainable land use guidance for diverse communities through the creation and maintenance of zoning code + zoning maps and the management of the rezoning process. They also make decisions about the city’s historic districts (with input from the Historic Resources Commission).
🗑 Sanitation | (828) 251-1122 | Public Works Building, 161 Charlotte St.
What they do: Handle garbage + recycling collection in the city, as well as organize + schedule brush + leaf litter collection, bulky item pickup + more. Bonus: Find information on litter collection days, Christmas tree recycling, hard-to-recycle items, hazardous waste disposal, backyard composting + more on their page. Protip: This year the Sanitation Department is asking people to bag their leaves in paper bags. Find out more here.
🚧 Street Services | (828) 259-5852 | Public Works Building, 161 S. Charlotte St.
What they do: Maintenance, repair + replacement of city streets and sidewalks – including potholes, bridge maintenance, graffiti removal, tree management, mowing street sweeping + snow removal. Currently, the city maintains 404 miles of streets and 195 miles of sidewalks.
Wondering if your street falls under their jurisdiction? Check out the list of streets maintained by the city here. Protip: They’re also the department to contact if you want to put something, like a sign or an outdoor dining area, in a spot that’s on a sidewalk or roadside (the technical term for that is right-of-way encroachment). If you need to report major damage to a street, like a sinkhole, call 9-1-1.
🌿 Sustainability | (828) 271-6141| City Hall, 70 Court Plaza, 2nd floor
What they do: Work across departments on issues related to sustainable technology, energy, design + practice in connection with infrastructure, services + municipal operations. The department also maintains the Sustainability Map, which shows bus routes, greenways, cooking oil drop-off locations, tailgate markets + more in city neighborhoods. Current work with the city includes reducing the carbon footprint of city operations by 80% from a 2008 baseline, as well as partnering with organizations to host events + issuing green building rebates.
🚌 Transportation | (828) 259-5405 | City Hall, Mezzanine Hall
What they do: Oversee issues relating to transit + transportation, including city transit, greenways, bicycle + pedestrian services (including bike locker locations), parking (including information on city-owned parking lots and decks) + more. The Transportation Department works with Duke Energy on streetlight outages (more information here). Light shining in your window at night keeping you awake? You can also petition this department for addition or removal of street lights. The Traffic Engineering Division is also in charge of traffic calming, including adding or removing speed humps.
There’s so much that goes into creating a functioning, healthy city that’s good for locals + visitors, and it’s great to get a handle on what these departments do and where they’re headed. I’m particularly excited about all of the sustainability initiatives that will help ensure that Asheville continues to be a place to live and visit for generations to come. Plus, I had no idea that firefighters helped install car seats. How adorable is that?
If you want to get involved in city issues + decisions, remember that there are often vacancies on city boards and commissions, many of which work directly with these departments and City Council to keep Asheville not only running smoothly – but also full of interesting people + things.
What do you love about the people and departments that keep Asheville running every day? Just hit reply, or let us know over on Facebook or Instagram.
