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Glite Dictionary
building department

building department

2 3.5
A division that manages construction, repairs, and maintenance of a building
  • noun
  • /ˈbɪldɪŋ dɪˈpɑːrtmənt/
translation icon : departamento de construcción
  • Have you ever dealt with the building department?
  • local building department
  • city building department
  • building department permit

Examples

  • More often than not, it can feel like the building department's primary role is to turn you and your neatly rolled set of drawings away, issuing an endless list of bureaucratic forms, documents to be notarized, and permit corrections.

    Blog text (23)

  • A police officer told the Advertiser that the building department is going to need to inspect the house before it can be occupied again.

    Blog text (30)

  • The last visit by the building department took place on September 24, 2012.

    Blog text (5)

  • After planning, getting through the building department plan check is easy.

    Blog text (24)

  • You can check with your local building department.

    Blog text (29)

  • If you're unsure if a permit or license is required for the type of work you're looking to hire out for, you can always check with your local city or county building department or city code office.

    Blog text (32)

  • Check with your local building department to see what laws apply in your area.

  • You can also call your local building department for help.

  • Contact your city's building department for zoning regulations and more information.

Synonyms

plant department
vsbuilding department
1 3.9

The part of a company that builds, maintains, and looks after its buildings and machines

focuses on maintaining and repairing physical premises rather than equipment oversight

How Responsible

building department
2 3.5

Surface Forms

building department singular
building departments plural

Morphology

building + department

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'building' (relating to construction or physical structures) with 'department' (an organizational unit). A B1 learner who knows both words can infer this is the unit responsible for buildings or building-related work; the noun+noun composition is a common, predictable pattern cross-linguistically.

Etymology

Building department comes from two ordinary words: building, the place, and department, the office that looks after it. So the phrase means the group 'responsible' for construction, maintenance, and repairs.