Act 93 in 1900 established the Orleans Levee District and the Board of Commissioners that governed it. Section 6 of the Act further stated that, "The City Surveyor of New Orleans, who shall hereafter be styled City Engineer, shall be the chief engineer of said board...." The Office of City Surveyor, which dated back to the municipality's incorporation in 1805, thus passed out of existence. In 1896, a new city charter confirmed the new name and placed the City Engineer among the executive officers of New Orleans, along with the Mayor, Comptroller, Treasurer, Commissioner of Public Works, and Commissioner of Police and Public Buildings. He was to be at least thirty years old and a citizen of Louisiana for at least five years prior to his appointment by the Mayor. Additionally, he was to be a Civil Engineer in good standing with a minimum of five years of experience.

In 1894, the office employed, in addition to the City Engineer himself, a chief clerk, a stenographer, four Assistant City Engineers, five rodman, two assistant clerks, a custodian, a messenger, a draughtsman, an assistant draughtsman, a tracer, four inspectors, and a porter. In addition, apparently through a separate appropriation for a topographical survey, the office also included a first assistant engineer, an assistant engineer, three gaugers, two draughtsman, three assistant gaugers, a stenographer, and a porter. At the end of 1907 the office staff included the City Engineer, a chief clerk, an assistant clerk, a custodian, five assistant engineers, an architectural draughtsman, a topographical draughtsman, two assistant draughtsmen, a building inspector, two street paving inspectors, a stenographer, six rodman, and a messenger (with another five assistant engineers, five inspectors, and four rodmen employed through funds authorized by ordinance #4538 NCS).

The new city charter of 1912 created a commission form of government for the Crescent City with five departments, each headed by a commissioner with both executive and legislative power. The City Engineer came under the umbrella of the Department of Public Property. Within that Department, the City Engineer had administrative and field responsibilities, oversaw the Municipal Repair Plant, and supervised the City's contingent of building inspectors. See a description of the Public Property records, including references to files relating directly to the City Engineer's Office.

The primary duties of the City Engineer were to:

• furnish the Council and the proper authorities of the city, when so ordered, with all the plans and estimates and other information appertaining to his department which such Council or executive officers may require.
• superintend the construction of all public works, and report after the completion of the same the manner in which the works have been executed
• give all lines and grades for all sidewalks, streets, railroads and other works authorized by the Council, for which services no charge shall be made
• establish and keep up to date a platted record, in book form, on a suitable scale, of the subdivision of each and every block in the city, as far as is practicable from the information in his possession and from the reports made to him by the deputy surveyors of their transactions
• issue building permits and keep a record of such permits, describing the exact location and cost of each building or alteration
• devise a plan for drainage of the City
• maintain a record of street number changes
• generally to protect the City's interest in the integrity of its streets and other property from harm by railroad and street railway companies, lighting companies, etc.