Here is a list of the major departments in the executive branch. They can be found on the City’s website at http://bit.ly/DetroitDepartments. The Mayor can create new departments as needed and must maintain departments that are charter-mandated.
| City Departments | This department is responsible for… |
| Airport Department | Maintaining and operating the Coleman A. Young Municipal Airport. |
| Buildings, Safety Engineering, and Environmental Department (BSEED) | Providing for the safety, health, and welfare of citizens as it pertains to buildings and their environment. BSEED enforces construction, property maintenance, environmental compliance, and zoning codes. |
| Civil Rights, Inclusion, and Opportunity Department (CRIO) | Assuring all City of Detroit residents, visitors, and employees enjoy a safe environment, free of discriminatory barriers. This includes monitoring the inclusion of Detroiter employees in large construction projects, and resolving civil rights complaints. |
| Department of Public Works (DPW) | Providing environmental and infrastructure services, including trash and recycling pickup; illegal dumping cleanup; street, sidewalk, and alleyway maintenance, including construction; snow and ice removal; pothole repair; and traffic control systems, among other services. “Infrastructure” describes the physical structures that are maintained by the City and that supports the everyday needs of residents. |
| Department of Appeals and Hearings (DAH) | Ensuring that property in Detroit is maintained free of blight by serving as the City’s “Blight Court” on all blight violations. The DAH also serves as the appeals court when a citizen is impacted by an administrative decision made by a City department. |
| Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT) | Providing tech support for other City departments and developing creative ways for citizens to communicate with city government, like the Improve Detroit app. |
| Department of Neighborhoods (DON) | Providing a direct link between the City of Detroit and block clubs, community groups, business owners, faith and school leaders, and citizens. Each City Council district is assigned with a District Manager and a Business Liaison who help to manage these relationships. |
| Demolition Department | Detroit Building Authority (DBA) until July 2020Managing large-scale construction and demolition projects and planning for City-owned facilities. |
| Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) | Providing citizens with a wide the largest network of public transportation. DDOT’s bus routes serve the City of Detroit, surrounding suburbs, and neighboring cities, including Highland Park and Hamtramck. |
| Detroit Fire Department (DFD) | Providing a safe environment for Detroit’s citizens and visitors through public education, enforcement of fire codes, and deployment of efficient emergency response resources such as medical services, fire suppression, arson investigations, and fire dispatch. |
| Detroit Health Department (DHD) | Providing relevant public health services and resources to citizens. These services include maternal and child healthcare; immunization, lead, vision, and hearing testing; sexually-transmitted disease clinics; promotion of nutritional health nutrition; and food and environmental health and safety. |
| Department of Elections | Overseeing elections and voter registration in the city. |
| General Services Department (GSD) | Maintaining City vehicles; forestry services; vacant lot maintenance; City-owned building maintenance; and parks and recreation center planning; design, improvements, and programming. |
| Detroit Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) | Coordinating with every level of government and private-sector agencies to protect the community from natural and human-made emergencies and disasters. |
| Housing and Revitalization Department (HRD) | Sustaining and growing neighborhoods by providing access to decent and affordable housing options in thriving neighborhoods across the city. They do so through managing federal housing resources; identifying economic and community development funding; steering local housing policy; and creating and maintaining housing opportunities for families in need through private and public sector partnerships. |
| Human Resources Department (HR) | Connecting Detroiters to a variety of City jobs, training programs, and opportunities that are available throughout the City of Detroit. They are also responsible for creating workplace policies for City employees. |
| Law Department | Providing a variety of legal services to the City, its elected officials, departments, agencies, offices, commissions, boards, and employees. |
| Media Services Departments | Telling Detroit’s stories through television, media, web, and print media. These include utilizing the City’s social media accounts; writing journalistic stories about events in Detroit’s neighborhoods; and planning and executing special events held within the City. |
| Municipal Parking Department (MPD) | Enforcing city parking ordinances and providing on- and off-street parking. This includes issuing parking tickets and collecting fines from parking tickets. |
| Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) | Managing the City’s finances. The OCFO creates the City budget; collects revenue such as property and income taxes; provides property assessments; provides financial reporting of the City’s activities; provides financial services, planning, and analysis; and manages grants. |
| Detroit Parks and Recreation Department (DPRD) | Providing recreation and leisure activities to all Detroiters. This includes the City’s 309 parks and 11 recreation centers. |
| Pension Department | Providing information about pensions to City employees. Also responsible for managing the retirement systems for active City employees and retired City employees. |
| Planning and Development Department (PDD) | Planning for the city’s future through growth and economic development. They do so by developing and updating the City’s Master plan, as well as providing project management for the creation of citywide plans by engaging local communities in participatory community planning. |
| Detroit Police Department (DPD) | Keeping our neighborhoods safe with the department’s 2,200 officers policing the city’s 139 square miles. |
| The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) | Delivering Detroiters clean and safe drinking water as well as processing sewerage. |
| Youth Services Department | Creating opportunities for young people living in the city of Detroit. Programs include Grow Detroit’s Young Talent, the mayor’s summer jobs program; Summer Fun Centers; after-school programs, and the mayor’s in-school soccer program. |