Coos Bay, Oregon Building Permit Guide

Permits in Coos Bay are split: the City’s Building Codes Division issues structural and mechanical permits, and Coos County Community Development issues every electrical and plumbing permit in the city. Applications can be filed in Oregon ePermitting, in person, by mail or by fax, and the City starts review only after the plan review fee is paid. A structural permit costs at least $150, and plan review adds 65% of the permit fee.

The division is part of Community Development at Coos Bay City Hall, 500 Central Avenue (541-269-8918, permits@coosbayor.gov), with Marci Goodrich as Building Official. Staff are at the front counter Monday to Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and because inspectors are often in the field the City recommends booking an appointment. Coos Bay had 15,686 residents in the Census estimate for 2025.

The City covers land inside Coos Bay. Unincorporated land outside the city is permitted by Coos County Community Development.

What requires a building permit in Coos Bay?

The City requires a permit for new construction and manufactured dwellings, for structural, plumbing, mechanical or electrical changes to an existing building, for a change of occupancy classification and for demolition. Work in the right-of-way, sewer connections and repairs, curb cuts, site development and signs need permits too. For houses, the 2026 Oregon Residential Specialty Code’s chapter 1, mandatory since October 1, 2026, decides which small projects are exempt.

An FAQ on the City’s permit page still puts the shed threshold at 120 sq ft; the page itself and the 2026 state code use 200 sq ft. A land use permit may still be needed for an exempt building.

What Coos Bay decides and what the state holds

The construction code and its exemptions come from the state Building Codes Division. Coos Bay sets its fee schedule, its filing channels and inspection procedures, its zoning and development code in Title 17 of the Municipal Code, its floodplain rules in chapter 17.318, and its Public Works permits for grading, site development and work in the street.

Oregon’s building code and its exemptions are the same in Coos Bay 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

Coos Bay building department: who handles permitting

Community Development includes Building Codes, Economic Development, Permitting and Planning. The Building Codes Division reviews plans and inspects structural and mechanical work; Planning checks zoning, lot coverage and setbacks; Public Works issues sewer, site development, sidewalk, street, driveway and right-of-way permits. Coos County Community Development, 60 E. Second Street in Coquille, issues and inspects the electrical and plumbing permits and, as DEQ’s agent, septic permits.

Permit types

Residential permits

Licensed contractors, architects and engineers can apply for some permit types in ePermitting; anyone else, or anyone who prefers paper, uses the City’s forms: building permit, building site plan checklist, demolition, floodplain development supplement, manufactured building placement, mechanical, the moisture content and energy lighting acknowledgement, the Public Works permit and sign permits. A bathroom addition, for example, needs a City building permit, a City mechanical permit for the exhaust fan and a plumbing permit from Coos County. Prescriptive rooftop solar costs $200 with plan review included.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial structural work is priced on the same valuation table, with plan review at 65% and fire and life safety review at 40% of the structural fee. Commercial mechanical permits use their own valuation table starting at $125, with mechanical plan review at 65%. Deferred submittals pay 65% of the fee for the deferred part, at least $200 per item, and phased projects $300 plus 10% of the total permit fee, capped at $1,500 a phase. Commercial alarm and sprinkler systems are priced on the structural table, and a separate county electrical permit may also apply.

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

What comes before the building permit

The City asks applicants to check with Planning first, since zoning, lot coverage and setbacks decide what can be built. Every grading job, including lot leveling, slope grading, drainage and retaining wall excavation, needs a Public Works site development permit. In FEMA’s special flood hazard area, a floodplain development permit is reviewed with the building or Public Works permit, usually in one to three weeks; plans must be certified by an engineer or architect, a qualified professional must document whether an Endangered Species Act take permit is needed, and new or substantially improved homes need the lowest floor at least 1 foot above the base flood elevation. The floodplain review itself is free, but reviewing an elevation certificate costs $115. Under its NFIP participation, Coos Bay works from FEMA maps effective December 7, 2018.

Coos Bay permit costs and fees

The fees below are the current column of the Building Codes fee schedule the City sent to the state Building Codes Division on February 2, 2026. That notice proposed only two changes: a new fee for second and later reviews of structural master plans, at 50% of the first plan review fee, and a corrected line description, with a final Council hearing on March 3, 2026 and an effective date of March 23, 2026. The schedule’s surcharge line reads “Assessed on all structural and mechanical permits, including reinstated permits: 12% of permit fee”, and a 5% City technology fee applies to all non-administrative fees but not to the state surcharge.

Worked example. A house valued at $300,000: $1,230.50 plus 200 × $7 ($1,400) is a structural permit fee of $2,630.50. Plan review at 65% adds $1,709.83, and the 12% state surcharge on the permit fee adds $315.66, for $4,655.99. The 10% land use review fee ($263.05), the 5% technology fee, the City mechanical permit and the Coos County electrical and plumbing permits are on top.

An expired permit can be reinstated for 50% of the original fee within six months of expiry and for 100% between six and twelve months; after twelve months a new permit is required. Residential fire sprinkler systems cost $200 to $500 by floor area, with plan review included.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The City issues mechanical permits, priced per appliance for homes and by valuation for commercial work. Electrical and plumbing permits, including the plumbing for a new bathroom, a water line or a fixture, are issued and inspected by Coos County Community Development, and the county inspections have to be finished before the City’s final inspection. The City’s permit page also says the property owner is ultimately responsible for every permit reaching final approval, even when contractors pulled them.

One FAQ on the City’s permit page still names the state Building Codes Division as the issuer of electrical and plumbing permits; the City’s own page text and the state’s directory both name Coos County.

How to apply for a Coos Bay building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The City names an incomplete site plan as the most common reason a permit is delayed. Review cannot start without the plan review fee, and faxed applications should be followed by a call to confirm they arrived. A permit can be issued only after plan review is approved, and a substantial change to approved plans means a revised plan and possibly more fees. Projects running past six months need an extension and a progress inspection every six months, and the Building Official can extend a permit for 180 days on written request.

Inspections in Coos Bay

Call 541-269-8918 at least one working day ahead, with the permit number, the owner’s name, the address, the inspection type and the date wanted. An adult has to be on site to let the inspector in unless all the work is outside, and a set of approved plans must be there. If the work is not ready when the inspector arrives, extra fees can apply.

Inspections follow the list on the permit, and each stage has to pass before the next one, so framing must be approved before drywall goes up. Coos County’s electrical and plumbing inspections come before the City’s final, and the project is not finished until every permit, including any floodplain and county permits, has final approval. Without inspections for 180 days, a permit expires.

Coos Bay permit search and official resources

Coos Bay permits are public in Oregon ePermitting: search by permit number, or by address with the city or ZIP code added so results from other places are filtered out. No account is needed to view a permit or pay fees, and approved documents start with “APPROVED” in the file name.

• Coos Bay Building Codes Division
• Coos Bay building permits, forms and FAQs
• Coos Bay Community Development
• Coos Bay floodplain development FAQs
• Coos Bay building fee schedule and notice to BCD, February 2026
• Coos County building department (electrical and plumbing)
• Oregon ePermitting
• 2026 Oregon Residential Specialty Code, chapter 1 (permits and exemptions)
• DEQ onsite septic agents by county
• FEMA Community Status Book for Oregon
• Oregon Construction Contractors Board

Coos Bay building permit FAQ

Who issues plumbing and electrical permits in Coos Bay?

Coos County Community Development in Coquille (541-396-7770). The City issues structural and mechanical permits.

Can I apply on paper in Coos Bay?

Yes. Applications are accepted in person at City Hall, by mail to 500 Central Avenue or by fax to 541-269-8916.

How much is a building permit in Coos Bay?

At least $150; a $300,000 house pays $2,630.50, plus $1,709.83 for plan review and $315.66 in state surcharge, before other fees.

How do I schedule an inspection in Coos Bay?

Call 541-269-8918 at least 24 hours ahead with your permit number and the inspection you need.

Do I need a permit for a shed in Coos Bay?

A building permit is needed for a shed over 200 sq ft; smaller nonhabitable sheds up to 15 feet to the average roof height are exempt, though a land use permit may still apply.

How long is a Coos Bay building permit good for?

Work must start within 180 days of issue, and the permit expires if 180 days pass without an inspection; the Building Official can extend it by 180 days on a written request.

Is there a fee for floodplain review in Coos Bay?

No fee for the floodplain development review itself, but the City charges $115 to review an elevation certificate.

What does building in a Coos Bay flood zone involve?

A floodplain development permit reviewed with the building permit, engineer- or architect-certified plans, ESA documentation and a lowest floor at least 1 foot above the base flood elevation for homes.

Simplify Coos Bay 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 Coos Bay permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.