Oregon Building Permit Guides

Oregon has one building code. The state building code — the Oregon Specialty Codes, adopted by the Building Codes Division of the Department of Consumer and Business Services — is applicable and uniform throughout the state, and no municipality may enforce different requirements on the same matters unless the department’s director authorises it (ORS §455.040). The Oregon Residential Specialty Code covers one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses; the Oregon Structural Specialty Code covers other buildings; mechanical, plumbing, electrical and energy specialty codes sit alongside them.

Administration is local. The Building Codes Division counts 131 municipalities that administer the state building code; the city or county sets the fee schedule, the submittal list, the inspection booking method and the land-use rules, but not the technical requirements.

The exemptions are statewide too, and the 2026 Oregon Residential Specialty Code sets them out in two lists. Its chapter 1 has been mandatory since October 1, 2026 (the rest of the 2026 code becomes mandatory on April 1, 2027). The first list (section R105.2) is work that needs no building permit, among other things: a nonhabitable one-story detached accessory structure, not used for sleeping or permanent cooking, of up to 200 square feet and 15 feet high (400 square feet on a parcel of two acres or more); detached platforms and decks no more than 30 inches above grade, of any size, and porches and decks attached to a house at that height; above-grade and on-ground swimming pools; replacement or repair of siding that is not required to be fire rated; door and window replacements, unless a structural member changes or the unit must be fire rated; and reroofing, including replacement of damaged sheathing, where the added dead load is 4 pounds per square foot or less, except on townhouses and attached stacked two-family dwellings, for building-integrated and other photovoltaic roof coverings, and where the original construction had to meet the wildfire standards of section R327. The second list (section R101.2.2) is exempt unless a city or county ordinance requires a permit: fences, though a swimming pool barrier always needs one and no ordinance may require a permit for a wood, wire-mesh or chain-link fence 7 feet high or less; retaining walls, though a wall that protects a building’s users, supports a regulated building or holds back material that could affect one always needs a permit, and an ordinance may not require one for other walls 4 feet high or less unless they hold back a slope steeper than 3:1 or a surcharge other than soil; ground-mounted solar arrays, which need no permit at 10 feet high or less with no public access beneath; freestanding antennas, towers and tanks; fixed docks; and in-ground swimming pools at one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses. An exemption from the building permit is never an exemption from zoning, land use or a separate electrical, plumbing or mechanical permit.

Site design values come from the state’s Oregon Design Criteria Hub, which gives ground snow load, design wind speed and seismic values for a location. A residential permit expires if work does not start within 180 days of issue, or stops for 180 days once started; the building official can extend it in writing, up to 180 days at a time.

Contractors are licensed by the Construction Contractors Board. Anyone who works, offers or bids as a contractor needs a current CCB licence with the right residential or commercial endorsement (ORS §701.021), and there is no minimum job value. The exemptions in ORS §701.010 are narrow: work on one structure totalling less than $1,000 that is casual, minor or inconsequential, by someone who does not advertise as a contractor; a person working on property they own, occupied or not, or on their own residence; and an owner who hires licensed contractors. Neither owner exemption applies to someone building or remodelling with the intent of selling, and not living in the finished building is evidence of that intent.

The trades are licensed by the state on top of the CCB licence: electricians and electrical contractors under ORS chapter 479, and plumbers and plumbing contractors under ORS chapters 447 and 693. An owner may do electrical work on their own residential or farm property that is not for sale or rent without a licence (ORS §479.540), and plumbing licensing does not apply to plumbing work not done for hire (ORS §447.060); the work still needs its permit and must meet the code.

The state fixes the fee method, not the price. For new one- and two-family dwellings and additions the valuation is the ICC Building Valuation Data figure in force on 1 April multiplied by the floor area, and for commercial work it is the greater of that figure and the value the applicant states (OAR 918-050-0100); and the local fee schedule turns that valuation into the permit fee. Plan review is charged as the municipality sets it.

A 12 percent state surcharge is added to every permit fee — building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical and manufactured dwelling installation permits alike — and the municipality collects it and passes it to the state (ORS §§455.210 and 455.220).

• Electrical: a permit is required before new or altered electrical work starts. According to the Building Codes Division, none is needed for like-for-like replacement of broken or damaged outlets, light fixtures and switches (outlets with ground-fault protection excepted), for replacing fuses, defective breakers, light bulbs or fluorescent tubes, or for replacing an existing garbage disposal or dishwasher of 30 amps or less (see also OAR 918-309-0000). Licensed contractors can use a minor label instead of a permit for eligible small jobs, but not for underground work, work needing a cover inspection or plan review, hazardous locations or pools (OAR 918-309-0220).
• Plumbing: permits are required for plumbing installations; the only statutory exemption is for ordinary minor repairs that do not change the existing system, and it never covers water heaters, underground plumbing or new construction (ORS §447.072).