Clackamas County is the third-most-populous county in Oregon at about 426,000 residents, stretching from Portland’s southern suburbs to Mount Hood. Its Building Codes division, based in the county seat at Oregon City, permits and inspects unincorporated construction and also issues building permits in several small cities, including Barlow, Gladstone, Johnson City and Rivergrove, while Lake Oswego, Happy Valley, Milwaukie, Oregon City and the other larger cities run their own departments.
This guide covers the Building Codes division, the uniform statewide code, the rural and foothill site considerations, and where city-limit work goes instead.
This guide covers unincorporated Clackamas County and the small cities the county permits, such as Barlow, Gladstone, Johnson City and Rivergrove. Lake Oswego, Happy Valley, Milwaukie, Oregon City and the other larger cities run their own permitting.
Clackamas County runs from dense suburbs to Mount Hood forest, so the unincorporated work spans everything from infill to remote hillside and forest parcels. The Building Codes division administers the state code for unincorporated areas; rural, steep and forested parcels add site, access and land-use questions ahead of the building permit. Confirm whether a parcel is unincorporated or inside a city first.
What requires a building permit in Clackamas County?
Permit required
- New residential and commercial construction, additions, alterations and conversions
- Structural and load-bearing work, foundations, decks over the exempt height, and retaining walls above the code threshold
- Finishing basements and attics, garage conversions and any change of use or occupancy
- Electrical work under the Oregon Electrical Specialty Code, including services, circuits, solar and EV charging
- Plumbing under the Oregon Plumbing Specialty Code, and mechanical work under the mechanical code
- Re-roofing above the exempt scope, in-ground pools, signs and demolition; on houses, only fire-rated siding and door or window work that changes a structural member
Typically exempt
- Painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets and similar finish work
- One-story detached accessory structures below the code floor-area exemption
- Wood, wire-mesh and chain-link fences, exempt by statewide code
- Minor repairs replacing materials in kind, and like-for-like fixture swaps
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →Which code applies — OSSC or ORSC
The Oregon Residential Specialty Code (ORSC) governs one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses and their accessory structures; the Oregon Structural Specialty Code (OSSC) governs commercial buildings, apartments of three or more units and everything outside the residential scope. Alongside them sit the mechanical, plumbing, electrical and energy specialty codes, and the Oregon Fire Code is adopted by the State Fire Marshal. In Clackamas County, the Building Codes division administers the state code for unincorporated areas, with land use and, on rural parcels, access and site review handled alongside.
Oregon’s building code and its exemptions are the same in Clackamas 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
Who handles permitting in Clackamas County?
The Building Codes division handles building permits and inspections for unincorporated Clackamas County and, after city approval, for several small cities, including Barlow, Gladstone, Johnson City and Rivergrove.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Authority | Clackamas County Building Codes division |
| Seat | Oregon City |
| Serves | Unincorporated county and several small cities |
| Range | Portland suburbs to Mount Hood forest land |
| Code | Oregon Specialty Codes (uniform statewide) |
| Seismic | Cascadia design via the state Design Criteria Hub |
| Contractor credentials | CCB licence for almost any paid job |
| City-limit work | Mostly the city; the county permits Barlow, Gladstone, Johnson City and Rivergrove after city approval |
The Building Codes division administers the state code for the unincorporated county, from suburban infill near Portland to rural and forested parcels toward Mount Hood. On rural and steep parcels, land use, access, septic and site design sit ahead of the building permit; confirm the jurisdiction from the parcel first, since most of the cities run their own counters.
The technical code is uniform statewide, so what the county sets is the local administration, the fee schedule and the land-use and site requirements.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →In 2025, building permits issued in unincorporated Clackamas County authorized 202 new privately owned housing units, 180 of them single-family homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey.
Permit types
Residential permits
Unincorporated residential work spans suburban infill, hillside custom homes and rural and forest parcels. Re-roofs beyond the exempt scope, solar and EV chargers need permits, seismic detailing applies broadly, and every contractor needs a current CCB licence, apart from casual work under $1,000 and owners working on their own property.
Commercial permits
Commercial work concentrates in the suburban cities; unincorporated commercial and recreational work is a county land-use and building matter. Contractors on it need a CCB licence, and electrical and plumbing work is generally done by state-licensed trades.
Contractors need a current Construction Contractors Board licence with the right endorsement for a job of any size; the exceptions are casual work under $1,000 by someone who does not advertise as a contractor, and owners working on their own property who are not building to sell. Contractor licensing in Oregon
Clackamas County permit costs and fees
Budget the county building permit and plan-review fees, the statewide surcharge, separate trade permits, and any land-use or site review. Fees follow Oregon’s statewide valuation method with the county schedule.
| Fee component | How it works |
|---|---|
| Building permit | Based on Oregon’s statewide valuation method; the schedule is set locally |
| Plan review | A percentage of the building permit fee, charged at submittal |
| Trade permits | Separate electrical, plumbing and mechanical fees |
| State surcharge | A statewide percentage surcharge added to permit fees |
| Land-use review | Zoning, design or land-use review where the project triggers it |
| Re-inspections and revisions | Additional fees for failed inspections, revisions and expired permits |
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Need a real number for a specific Clackamas County project? Send us the scope, address and valuation and we will identify the filing path, the reviews it will trigger and the fee categories that will apply.
Oregon fixes the method rather than the price: new construction is valued with the ICC building valuation data under OAR 918-050-0100, Clackamas County applies its own schedule, and a 12 percent state surcharge is added to every permit fee. How Oregon permit fees are set
Trade permits and who may pull them
Permit required
- Service installations, panel upgrades, new circuits, solar PV and EV chargers
- New plumbing, repipes, water heater change-outs, fixtures, backflow and gas piping
- HVAC installation and change-out, ductwork, venting and commercial kitchen exhaust
- Sprinkler, standpipe and fire alarm work on commercial and multi-family structures
Typically exempt
- Replacing a fixture, switch, receptacle or light with no alteration to wiring or piping
- Clearing a stoppage without replacing or rearranging concealed piping
- Filter, thermostat and routine component service
- Like-for-like appliance repair that does not alter the connection
Electricians and plumbers are licensed by the state, though an owner may do electrical work on their own home and plumbing work that is not for hire. An electrical permit is needed for new or altered wiring; like-for-like repairs of outlets, switches and fixtures, and bulb, fuse and small-appliance swaps, are exempt. Electrical and plumbing permits in Oregon
Rather not deal with the Clackamas County building department?
Get a free quote →How to apply for a Clackamas County building permit
Lake Oswego, Happy Valley, Milwaukie and Oregon City file with their own counters; Barlow, Gladstone, Johnson City and Rivergrove need city approval and then a county permit.
Rural and steep parcels raise these ahead of the building permit.
Cascadia design reaches the valley and foothills.
Oregon requires it for almost any paid job; the exceptions are casual work under $1,000 and owners working on their own property.
An owner may do electrical work on their own home and plumbing work not done for hire; otherwise the installer needs the state trade licence.
Confirm the sets and forms the office needs.
An Oregon building permit expires if work does not start within 180 days of issue or stops for 180 days; the building official can extend it in writing, 180 days at a time. Oregon’s statewide code rules
Inspections in Clackamas County
Standard checkpoints include footing and foundation, under-floor and slab, framing, rough-in electrical, plumbing and mechanical, insulation and energy, fire systems on commercial work, and final, with occupancy approval before use. Rural, steep and forested parcels add site, access and drainage verification.
Many Oregon jurisdictions take inspection requests online, several through the state ePermitting system; confirm the method the Building Codes division uses and give the notice it asks for.
Do not cover work before the required inspection has been approved. Keep the issued permit, the approved plans, the seismic and energy documentation, product listings and your correction responses available on site.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Clackamas County permit search and official resources
Permit records in Oregon sit with the authority that issued them — where the Building Codes division administers the code, it holds the building permit, the inspection history and the certificate of occupancy for work in unincorporated Clackamas County. Many jurisdictions expose permit search through the state ePermitting portal. If you are buying, refinancing or renovating, confirm that past work was permitted rather than assuming it was.
The code is statewide, but the counter is local. Fees, submittal lists, review turnaround and land-use requirements are set by the administering jurisdiction; the technical code is not. Confirm current requirements, fees and review turnaround for your filing date.
These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and portal procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.
- Clackamas County Building Codes
- Oregon Building Codes Division
- Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB)
- Oregon ePermitting
- Oregon Design Criteria Hub (seismic and site)
Frequently asked questions
Where do I get a Clackamas County building permit?
From the Building Codes division at the county seat in Oregon City, which also permits Barlow, Gladstone, Johnson City and Rivergrove; Lake Oswego, Happy Valley, Milwaukie and the other larger cities run their own departments.
Do rural and Mount Hood parcels have extra steps?
Yes. Rural, steep and forested parcels add land use, access, septic and site design ahead of the building permit.
Is the building code different from the cities?
No. Oregon runs one uniform code statewide; what differs is the administering office, the fee schedule and the land-use rules.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Do I need a contractor licence for a small county job?
Almost always. Oregon requires a current CCB licence for construction work of any size; the exceptions are work under $1,000 that is casual, minor or inconsequential, by someone who does not advertise as a contractor, and owners working on their own property who are not building to sell.
Does seismic design apply here?
Yes. Cascadia seismic design reaches the valley and foothills; pull site-specific values from the state Design Criteria Hub.
How do I run a Clackamas County permit search?
Ask the county for its permit search; the permit and inspection history sit with the authority that issued the permit.
Simplify Clackamas County permitting with Alliance Permitting
Clackamas County spans suburb to forest, so the unincorporated work ranges from simple infill to rural parcels with access and site constraints. Confirming jurisdiction and settling site and land use up front keeps a south-metro or Mount Hood project moving.
Trusted by leading builders, developers, and national contractors — 21+ years of filing in the jurisdictions we write about.
Contractors and builders choose Alliance for Clackamas County because the work is done by people who have stood at the counter:
- We confirm unincorporated-versus-city jurisdiction from the parcel.
- We settle land use, access and site review before the building permit.
- We pull seismic and site values from the Design Criteria Hub.
- We verify every contractor holds a current CCB licence.
- We confirm state electrical and plumbing licences for the trades.
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.
Ready to break ground in Clackamas County sooner?
Let Alliance prepare, file, and track your Clackamas County permits while your crew stays on the job.
More Oregon permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Clackamas County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.