About Orange County Planning Department

The Orange County Department of Planning is engaged in issues of land use planning, transportation, public transit, education, trends research, resource management, agriculture, open space, grants and economic issues that affect the County. The Department consists of five (5) functional units as follows: Environment, Grants, Land Use, Transit and Transportation.

The Department staffs the Orange County Transportation Council (OCTC) - serving as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for this region.

Additionally, the Department provides staff support to the Orange County Water Authority (OCWA), the County Planning Board, the County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board, and the County Municipal Planning Federation.

The Commissioner of Planning also serves as the County’s Fair Housing Compliance Officer. Concerns relating to fair housing issues may be directed to the Planning Commissioner.

As an Affiliate of the New York State Data Center, the Department also researches and distributes demographic and economic data, including the dissemination of U.S. Census information.