"He's the world's nicest human being—and the funniest," executive producer Michael Schur told EW. "We made a list of all the people that we wanted to have back and he was high on the list, so we managed to snag him."
Rudd previously appeared in season four of the comedy, when his character ran against Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) for a City Council seat.
Rudd made his Broadway debut in The Last Night of Ballyhoo. His Broadway credits also include The Play What I Wrote, Three Days of Rain and Grace. He will star as the title character in the upcoming film "Ant-Man," and also counts "Clueless," "They Came Together," "Anchorman" and "This is 40" among his screen credits.
The season will also feature performances by Rob Lowe, Rashida Jones, Jon Hamm, Megan Mullally and Natalie Morales.
"Parks and Recreation" will return to NBC Jan. 13, 2015.