Baker County, Oregon Building Permit Guide

Baker County does not run a building department of its own: the Baker City Building Department issues all permits and does the plan review and inspections for every property in the county, including Haines, Halfway, Huntington, Richland, Sumpter, Unity and Greenhorn. Contractors can buy permits and upload plans through Oregon ePermitting; land use approval from the county or the city comes first, and house plans get a 10-working-day review once accepted as complete.

What requires a building permit in Baker County?

The department’s own forms show the permit types it sells: structural (building), manufactured dwelling placement, residential and commercial plumbing, residential and commercial mechanical, electrical, solar and other renewable electrical systems, demolition and fence permits. Trade work goes on its own application.

Those exemptions come from chapter 1 of the 2026 Oregon Residential Specialty Code, which became mandatory on October 1, 2026. The department’s older FAQ page still quotes a 10-foot height limit for sheds; the current state rule allows 15 feet, measured from grade plane to the average height of the highest roof. A shed or carport that needs no building permit can still need county or city zoning approval for where it sits, and its wiring or plumbing still needs a trade permit.

What the department decides and what the state holds

The technical rules are Oregon’s and are the same in Haines as anywhere else in Oregon. What is local is the administration: the fee schedule, the forms, the submittal checklist and the inspection routes. The Baker City fee schedule also carries two charges set by city ordinance, a $45 historic district design review and a $10 permit for fences over 6 feet (below the state’s 7-foot exemption), both inside Baker City.

Baker County building department: who handles permitting

The Building Codes Division’s directory lists the same office, at 1655 First Street with Dawn Kitzmiller as building official, for both Baker City and Baker County, and marks it as issuing “all building permits” for the city, the county and the outlying communities. Baker County’s own building page sends applicants straight to that department.

Every incorporated city in the county uses the same building department; what differs from town to town is who handles zoning.

County planning covers all unincorporated land except what the federal government manages.

Permit types and what comes first

Residential permits

A house needs the structural permit plus separate plumbing, mechanical and electrical permits, or a manufactured dwelling permit for a manufactured home. The web page asks for one set of plans, preferably electronic; the department’s printed one- and two-family checklist, drawn up under OAR 918-090-0320, still says three paper sets, so a paper filer should ask which applies. The checklist asks for a site plan showing setbacks, easements, well and septic, plus foundation, floor, framing, bracing and elevation sheets and the energy measure. The department also posts the state’s permit-ready plans, a prescriptive deck guide, the Additional Energy Measures form and roof-mounted solar checklists. Owner-builders sign the state “Construction Responsibilities” notice, which the department posts with its forms.

Building or remodeling a home here? Alliance handles home building permits, so the crew isn't waiting on the counter.

Commercial permits

Commercial plans also go in as one set, preferably electronic, checked against the commercial checklist. Review timelines follow ORS 455.467 and the structural code rather than the 10-day house target, and the department sends commercial plans to the State Fire Marshal for comment. Commercial mechanical work has its own plan review checklist (2024 edition), and commercial plumbing and mechanical permits use their own application forms.

For tenant improvements and new commercial builds, Alliance handles commercial permit filing through issuance. More on this: commercial building permits explained.

What comes before the building permit

• Land use: the department will not take plans without land use approval from Baker County or the city. On rural land, the county issues a Zoning Clearance once any conditions of approval are met: you bring a site plan, the Zoning Clearance application and the fee, and planning staff sign the form that clears you to apply for the building permit.
• Septic and well: the county lists septic approval and a well among the steps for every rural dwelling. DEQ’s agent list sends Baker County septic work to the Harney County Planning Department in Burns.
• Address and road access: a new rural address ($100 under Order No. 2026-117, the fee schedule the commissioners adopted on April 15, 2026), a road approach permit and a driveway or private road inspection come before or alongside the building permit.
• Floodplain: the county zoning ordinance has a Floodplain Overlay Zone (chapter 630), and a floodplain development permit costs $75.
• Farm and forest zones: a farm dwelling review is $125 and a non-farm dwelling $300; conditional uses are $275, or $525 when the planning director designates a complex project.

Building permit fees

The department charges the fee schedule posted on its Building Dept. Fees page, “effective July 1, 2022”. Most lines cite state law as their authority, and the same table applies across the county. Valuation comes from the latest ICC valuation chart by floor area; for commercial work it is the greater of that figure and the value the applicant states.

State surcharge: the schedule shows no surcharge line of its own; instead several entries carry the footnote “May be subject to state surcharge.” Oregon adds a 12 percent surcharge to permit fees, so budget it on top of the figures above.

Worked example: a project valued at $150,000 falls in the $100,001 to $1,000,000 band: $897.11 plus 50 × $5.54 = $1,174.11 for the permit, and the 65 percent plan review adds $763.17, before the state surcharge and any trade permits.

Trade fees on the same schedule include a new house’s electrical permit at $161.77 for up to 1,000 sq ft plus $29.13 for each further 500 sq ft, a 200-amp service at $96.28, and new-house plumbing at $249.71 for one bathroom and kitchen, $349.59 for two bathrooms and $449.48 for three.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical permits stay local here too: the same department sells and inspects structural, electrical, plumbing, mechanical and manufactured dwelling permits, so one inspector route covers the whole job. Each trade has its own form, and solar systems use a separate renewable energy form with a residential or commercial roof-mounted checklist.

• Contractors: anyone working for pay needs a Construction Contractors Board license with the right endorsement. The department does not recommend contractors and points owners to the CCB to check one.
• Electrical: a licensed electrician does hired work. ORS 479.540 lets an owner wire residential or farm property owned by them or their immediate family if it is not intended for sale, exchange, lease or rent; the work still needs a permit and must meet the code.
• Plumbing: state plumbing licensing does not apply to someone doing plumbing work when not engaged for hire (ORS 447.060); the permit and inspections still apply.
• Owner-builders: under ORS chapter 701, the permit office must have each applicant sign a statement giving a CCB license number or the basis for an exemption, and an owner acting as their own contractor signs the Construction Responsibilities notice.

How to apply

Review, corrections and what causes delay

For houses, the 10-working-day review clock starts only when the department accepts the plans as complete, so a missing land use approval or checklist item delays the start rather than the review. Commercial jobs take longer because the State Fire Marshal comments on them. Revisions after the first review are billed at $63.42 an hour, and a permit can be extended or reinstated for the fees the schedule lists if work stalls.

Inspections

Inspectors cover structural, electrical, plumbing, mechanical and manufactured dwelling work from Monday to Thursday, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Call 541-524-2054 and choose option 1; a request made before 7:30 a.m. can be inspected the same day. Contractors on ePermitting can also schedule there.

The Baker Valley is covered all four days. Outlying areas follow a rotation: Mondays and Wednesdays for Sumpter, Durkee, Huntington and Greenhorn, and Tuesdays and Thursdays for Richland, Halfway, Cornucopia and Oxbow (the county’s copy of the schedule adds Unity to the first group and Keating to the second). Design values differ from town to town: the department lists snow loads of 36 psf in Baker City and Richland, 60 in Halfway, 70 in Sumpter and 200 in Cornucopia, with 103 mph wind and a 24-inch frost depth. Residential certificates of occupancy carry no charge; a temporary one costs $105.70.

Oregon building code and flood maps

The department inspects to the Oregon specialty codes in force: the 2025 Oregon Structural Specialty Code for commercial work and, for houses, the 2026 Oregon Residential Specialty Code, whose chapter 1 has been mandatory since October 1, 2026 while chapters 2 to 44 may still be met under the 2023 edition until April 1, 2027. The 2026 electrical and plumbing codes took effect on October 1, 2026. In FEMA’s Community Status Book, Baker County, Baker City, Halfway, Huntington and Sumpter participate in the National Flood Insurance Program; Haines participates with no special flood hazard area mapped; Richland, Unity and Greenhorn are not listed.

Oregon’s building code and its exemptions are the same in Baker County as everywhere in the state, and an exemption from the building permit is not an exemption from zoning, land use or a trade permit. Site snow, wind and seismic values come from the state’s Oregon Design Criteria Hub. How Oregon’s statewide code works

Baker County building permit FAQ

Does Baker County have its own building department?

No. The Baker City Building Department issues all permits and does the plan review and inspections for the whole county, including every city.

How much is a building permit for a $150,000 project?

$1,174.11 for the permit and $763.17 for plan review on the July 2022 schedule, before the 12 percent state surcharge and trade permits.

How long does plan review take?

Ten working days for house plans once they are accepted as complete. Commercial review follows the state statute and includes State Fire Marshal comments.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

Not for a one-story, non-habitable shed up to 200 sq ft and 15 ft high, or 400 sq ft on a parcel of 2 acres or more. Zoning setbacks still apply, so check with the county or city planning office.

Who approves my septic system?

DEQ lists the Harney County Planning Department in Burns (541-573-2761) as the onsite septic agent for Baker County.

Can I get a same-day inspection in Halfway or Sumpter?

A same-day request has to be in before 7:30 a.m., and outlying towns are visited on set days, Halfway on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Sumpter on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Permit search and official resources

Permit records for the whole county sit with the Baker City Building Department. Permits sold through Oregon ePermitting can be looked up with the site’s Building search; for older files, plans or certificates of occupancy, file a public records request with Baker City on its request form or ask the department on 541-524-2054.

• Baker City Building Department: forms, plan submittals and inspections
• Baker County building page and inspection schedule
• Baker City Building Dept. Fees (effective July 1, 2022)
• Building fee schedule (PDF)
• One- and two-family dwelling plan checklist
• Building FAQs and local design criteria
• Baker County Planning Department
• Baker County Order No. 2026-117 adopting the 2026 fee schedule
• 2026 Baker County fee schedules by department
• DEQ onsite septic agents by county
• Oregon ePermitting
• BCD Local Building Department Directory
• BCD adopted codes
• Oregon Construction Contractors Board
• Baker City public records request form

Simplify Baker County permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Oregon. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Baker County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.