What To Know About The City Of Duluth’s New Mobile App – What Does It Do? Is It Must-Have?

The City of Duluth just announced it has launched a mobile app for residents of the Zenith City.

Why does a city government need a mobile app? What does it offer Duluthians? Let's take a look.

What is the City of Duluth mobile app? How can I download it?

The just-released mobile app is available for free on both Apple and Android phones, offering what the app description says is easy access to "stay connected with your city, report non-emergency issues, pay bills, access city services, and stay informed on information regarding the city, all in one place".

The app was promised as a "digital hub" by Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert during his State of the City speech this year. It follows suit with neighboring Superior, Wisconsin, which rolled out a city app in 2023.

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The app, which is officially called "City of Duluth, MN" is free on the iOS App Store (here) and Google Play (here) for Android devices.

What features does the Duluth mobile app offer?

When you load up the app, you're presented with a menu of options, along with the current date, temperature, and basic weather conditions. Here's a breakdown of each of them in the order they appear on the screen.

Welcome to Duluth: Tapping on this button, you get a brief "welcome" message from Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert. While the app is geared toward residents, the welcome message from the mayor does feel like it is written for visitors, saying "while you're here", to visit a handful of Duluth tourist staples like the Lakewalk, local restaurants, etc.

Street Parking Calendar: For anyone who has to park on the street, this feature will come in pretty handy. Tapping in, you get an interactive calendar that tells you what side of the street you should be parking on for any selected day, as well as the times this changes. If you want, you can even add this info to your phone's native calendar app.

Report an Issue: This is a one-stop shop for reporting anything from blocked culverts to debris on a road, potholes to damaged or missing signs and much more.

While many of these features will be handy for residents, I am personally enthused about the pothole reporting or the ability to report roads that need salt/sand during the winter. We'll have to see how quickly action is taken on those reports.

Work With Us: This is simply a link to the City of Duluth's employment opportunities page. If you're looking for a job with the city, it's a way to access information and applications.

Pay Here: This one is pretty self-explanatory. This brings you to an area where you can make a quick city-operated utility payment, set up or manage an account for services, or request service. While it is on a mobile app, mobile payment options like Apple Pay or Google Wallet. Currently, only major credit cards and e-checks are accepted.

Licenses, Permits, Rentals: The final option on the app's homesceen brings you to a portal for permit/plan/license applications, inspection requests, invoice payment, the ability to search public records on city permits, etc.

Real-time alerts: While this isn't one of the menu options, the app can provide alerts via notifications about things like road closures, emergencies, and other city announcements. Those can be managed from the hamburger menu in the upper right corner.

That hamburger menu gives you access to the same items above, along with a place to access your profile for city services (if you have one), easy access to any notifications you may receive through the app, and contact information for City Hall.

Is the City of Duluth, MN app any good? Do I need it?

Navigating around the app a little after downloading it, the app seems pretty thoughtfully built to meet a good share of basic needs for residents.

Pretty much all of these app-based features are also available through the city's website, so the app doesn't seem like a necessity for anyone who would rather just use the web or continue getting service in-person, over the phone, etc.

From a privacy perspective, the app doesn't collect or share any hidden data with the city or any third parties, according to data on the iOS App Store and Google Play.

The only information collected is things like reports or payments you actively submit through the app, going directly to the appropriate city office. While location data can be used by the app (if opted in) for reporting things like road issues, this data is not linked to a user or their device.