City Planning

The City Planning Department promotes and protects the health, safety and general welfare of Hammond by enhancing and conserving the social and economic stability of the residential, commercial, industrial and recreational areas by fostering the most appropriate use of municipal land and resources

The Department of City Planning regulates land use throughout the city. This is accomplished with the use of provisions contained in three documents: The Comprehensive Land Use Plan, The Hammond Zoning Ordinance, and The Subdivision Control Ordinance.

• The Comprehensive Land Use Plan is a document that is a presentation of the goals and objectives of how the City should be developed. The Plan is a useful tool in how decisions about development should be made and provides direction to the Plan Commission in its decisions. It also described how the City is currently developed into residential, commercial, industrial, recreational and institutional areas. The City is divided into 6 Planning Districts that roughly approximate the traditional neighborhood boundaries. The Comprehensive Land Use Plan was adopted in 1992. In 2001, the Hessville Neighborhood Plan was adopted, followed by the North Hammond Neighborhood Plan’s adoption in 2003. These documents are available at the Public Library or for purchase at the Department of City Planning.
• The Zoning Ordinance and its associated Zoning Map define the specific categories or districts where residential, commercial, industrial and other types of land uses are allowed to be located. The document provides the details of what can be developed in the particular districts and how it can be developed. The Zoning Ordinance also defines the developmental procedures for a particular land use or developmental consideration. The current Zoning Ordinance (Ordinance #8514) became effective on October 21, 2003 and has been amended periodically. The current Zoning Ordinance is available here.
• The Subdivision Control Ordinance provides guidance on how property is to be divided. A division of property can occur for any type of property: residential, commercial, industrial, etc. The use of the term “subdivision” is not limited to “new houses”. The subdivision control process is a technical process that requires a registered land surveyor and an engineer. If property is being divided so that all of the pieces are greater than 5 acres, then that type of division of property is exempt from the ordinance. However, it is encouraged that all divisions of property are done in accordance with the subdivision control ordinance. The current ordinance that is in effect is Ordinance 4829.