Fairview, Oregon Building Permit Guide

In the City of Fairview, the Public Works Department’s Building Division issues every type of building permit, structural, mechanical, plumbing and electrical, and takes applications through Oregon ePermitting. Work beyond the inside of an existing building may need planning approval first. Under the Master Fee Schedule effective July 1, 2026, a house or multifamily permit for a $40,000 project is $543, and plan review adds 65% of that.

The division is on the second floor of Fairview City Hall, 1300 NE Village Street, open Monday to Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and closed on Fridays (503-674-6206, permits@ci.fairview.or.us). Sean Blaire is Fairview’s Building Official in the state’s directory and signs the City’s fee notices. Fairview, a Multnomah County city, had 10,762 residents in the Census estimate for 2025.

The City’s permits cover land inside Fairview. Parcels outside the city limits are unincorporated Multnomah County or a neighboring city, each with its own rules.

What requires a building permit in Fairview?

Fairview’s rule is broad: a permit is needed to build, enlarge, alter, repair, move or change the occupancy of a building, or to install, alter, convert or replace any electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system. The City’s residential and commercial exemption pages still quote older code editions (a 10-foot wall height for sheds, reroofing limits tied to live load, the 2019 structural code), so the lists below use the 2026 Oregon Residential Specialty Code, mandatory since October 1, 2026.

What Fairview decides and what the state holds

Exemptions come from sections R101.2.2 and R105.2 of the 2026 Oregon Residential Specialty Code; its other chapters become mandatory on April 1, 2027, and commercial work has followed the 2025 Oregon Structural Specialty Code since April 1, 2026. Fairview decides its fee schedule and annual fee index, planning approvals, its riparian buffer and dock permits, the foundation survey rule, and the stormwater rules it adopted from Gresham’s Stormwater Management Manual (Resolution 64-2020).

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

Fairview building department: who handles permitting

The Building Division sits in Public Works, and its listed contact is the permit technician. Planning, reached on the same 503-674-6206 line or at planner@ci.fairview.or.us, decides whether a project needs a land use or planning permit first. Septic questions in Multnomah County go to Portland Permitting and Development, which DEQ lists as its onsite agent for the county.

Permit types

Residential permits

A new house starts with the City’s one- and two-family dwelling checklist, which asks for completed land use actions, zoning and flood plain details, plat verification, a sewer connection application, a water connection application or the water provider’s approval, a stormwater SDC application, fire-flow verification from the water provider, a stamped soils report, an erosion control permit drawn to Gresham’s manual, and a scaled site plan with property corner elevations, adding 2-foot contours where the lot falls more than 4 feet. Foundation plans show anchor bolts, hold-downs and vent sizes; floor plans mark smoke detectors, the water heater, furnace, fans and any deck over 30 inches; cross sections give every framing member size and spacing; and additions and remodels need at least two exterior elevations. The checklist warns that plans cannot be reviewed if they infringe copyright. Homeowners use the same ePermitting system, with the state’s homeowner guides.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial buildings follow their own valuation table with plan review at 65% of the permit fee and fire and life safety review at a further 40% where needed; commercial fire sprinkler, suppression and alarm systems have a separate valuation table. Fairview publishes a deferred submittal checklist and forms for high-piled storage. Deferred items cost $521 each, phased permits a $579 base per phase, and a temporary certificate of occupancy $463 for 30 days.

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

Any work beyond the interior of an existing building may need a planning permit before the building application, so new buildings and additions start with Planning; the City warns that a late planning approval may hold up the building permit. Planning’s sign-off on a building permit costs $29 for over-the-counter jobs and $87 an hour where a Type I, II or III land use decision has to be checked. Docks need a $579 dock permit, and work in a riparian buffer a riparian buffer permit. Mapped flood areas in Fairview follow FEMA’s February 1, 2019 maps (the city participates in the National Flood Insurance Program), and new construction in mapped flood areas must be built to resist flood damage under the state code. On a septic property, the checklist asks for a septic permit or authorization before a remodel.

Fairview permit costs and fees

Fees are in the City’s Master Fee Schedule, effective and published July 1, 2026. In a May 2026 letter to the state, the City said its Council adopted building fees in 2023 with a 5% index applied each July 1 from 2024 to 2028, so no new hearing was held for the 2026 step. The schedule’s own surcharge wording, in its manufactured home section, imposes “the total of all surcharges imposed by the State”; the state sets that surcharge at 12% of permit fees.

Worked example. A $40,000 addition is in the $25,001 to $50,000 band: $408 plus 15 × $9 ($135) gives a permit fee of $543. Plan review at 65% adds $352.95, for $895.95, and the state’s 12% surcharge on the permit fee adds $65.16, before any trade, planning or erosion control fees.

The commercial table’s top band begins at $624, $18 below where the $50,001 to $100,000 band ends. The fee table Fairview sent to the state in May 2026 adds a $174 minimum permit fee and gives that top band as $642; the posted Master Fee Schedule shows neither figure. System development charges for water, sewer and stormwater are in a separate SDC sheet on the City’s forms page, with their own connection applications.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Fairview issues mechanical, plumbing and electrical permits as well as structural ones, all through ePermitting. Electrical plan review, where a plan is required, is 25% of the electrical permit fee, and minor label inspections follow rules and rates set by the Tri-County Building Industry Services Board. Replacing a water heater in kind costs a flat $58 plumbing fee that includes any electrical or mechanical part of the job.

How to apply for a Fairview building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Fairview publishes no plan review target. The application is first checked for completeness, and nothing is processed until the deposit is paid. Planning approval can hold a project too: the City notes that delaying it may delay the building permit. Changes to approved plans cost $145 an hour in added review. An application or permit that is not pursued expires after 180 days, and the City’s extension form goes to the Building Official for a decision.

Inspections in Fairview

Inspections are scheduled in Oregon ePermitting, Monday through Friday during normal operating hours, using the state’s inspection codes brochure (English and Spanish). Fairview also requires a survey of the foundation forms before concrete is poured: a hub and tack or foundation survey stamped by a registered land surveyor, showing yard dimensions wherever the building comes within 3 feet of a required setback or fire separation line. The City reviews it within one business day, and framing may not start until the foundation location meets code.

A reinspection costs $174, and inspections outside normal hours $260 a visit. The City’s rule on finals is simple: if you fail to final your permit, the work counts as unpermitted. Work started without a permit draws an investigation fee of $174 an hour, at least one hour, whether or not a permit is then issued.

Fairview permit search and official resources

Fairview permits issued through Oregon ePermitting can be looked up with the portal’s public permit search, which shows status and inspection results. For anything older, contact the Building Division at 503-674-6206 or permits@ci.fairview.or.us.

• Fairview Building Services
• Fairview forms, fee schedule and SDCs
• Master Fee Schedule, effective July 1, 2026
• Residential building permit application checklist
• Foundation survey requirements
• Permit extension request form
• BCD notice of Fairview’s 2026 fee update
• 2026 Oregon Residential Specialty Code, chapter 1
• BCD Local Building Department Directory
• DEQ onsite septic county agents
• FEMA Community Status Book for Oregon
• Oregon ePermitting
• Oregon Construction Contractors Board

Fairview building permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Fairview?

The City’s Building Division in Public Works, on the second floor of City Hall. It issues all building permits, including electrical.

Is the Fairview permit counter open on Fridays?

No. The Building Division is open Monday to Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., though inspections can be booked Monday to Friday.

How much is a building permit for a house project?

A $40,000 addition pays $543 plus 65% plan review, $895.95, before the state’s 12% surcharge.

Do I need planning approval first?

Often, for anything beyond interior work on an existing building. Ask Planning at 503-674-6206 before applying.

Why does Fairview want a foundation survey?

To confirm setbacks and fire separation before concrete is poured; framing cannot start until the foundation location is approved.

What if I never get a final inspection?

The City treats the work as unpermitted. Book the finals in ePermitting before the permit expires.

How do I extend a Fairview permit?

Send the City’s permit extension request form with the reason; the Building Official decides and sets the new expiration date.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

Not for a wood, wire mesh or chain link fence up to 7 feet, unless it is a pool barrier; Planning sets fence height and placement rules.

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