Hermiston, Oregon Building Permit Guide

The City of Hermiston’s Building Department runs the building permit and inspection program for all land inside the city limits, under the state building, plumbing, mechanical, electrical and manufactured dwelling codes. Contractors must apply online through Oregon ePermitting; homeowners doing their own work may apply in person, by email or online. Plan review is 65% of the permit fee and is invoiced before the review starts, and the City’s operating plan targets 10 to 14 business days for house plans.

The department is at 180 NE 2nd Street, Suite 211 (541-667-5025, option 2; building@hermiston.gov) and keeps office hours of 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. on weekdays. Chuck Woolsey is the Building Official. Hermiston, in Umatilla County, had 19,906 residents in the Census estimate for 2025.

Hermiston’s jurisdiction is the land within its city limits; most of the rest of Umatilla County is served by the state Building Codes Division’s office in Pendleton.

What requires a building permit in Hermiston?

The department permits and inspects new buildings, additions, alterations and remodels, demolitions of all types of buildings and manufactured home placements, and its inspections also cover zoning and other City ordinances. Reroofing a house needs a permit when the sheathing or other structural parts are replaced, and every construction site, residential or commercial, needs a Blowing Dust Control Plan before work starts.

What Hermiston decides and what the state holds

The state sets the exemptions in sections R105.2 and R101.2.2 of the 2026 Oregon Residential Specialty Code, mandatory since October 1, 2026; the City’s codes page still lists the 2023 residential edition. Hermiston decides the fee schedule, its development code and zoning, the blowing dust rule in section 92.12 of the City Code, the business license requirement and its fence rules: a fence in a front yard may be no taller than 3½ feet, must respect vision clearance at corners and driveways, and should not sit in any easement.

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

Hermiston building department: who handles permitting

Certified inspectors, plans examiners and permit technicians in the Building Department review and approve residential and commercial structural, plumbing and mechanical plans, and the department’s staff list includes an electrical inspector. Who issues electrical permits is the one point where official sources differ. The City’s own documents point to the City: it posts an electrical permit application, lists electrical fees, says contractors can buy electrical permits through ePermitting, and its operating plan sets electrical fees by Council resolution and schedules residential electrical inspections on Mondays and Thursdays and commercial ones on Mondays and Wednesdays, with commercial electrical plans reviewed by the state’s electrical plans examiner. BCD’s directory instead lists electrical permits in Hermiston under its Pendleton office. Ask the department before buying an electrical permit. The Planning Department (541-667-5010) handles zoning reviews, site plans and land use, and Umatilla County Fire District 1’s Fire Marshal reviews and comments on projects the fire code covers.

BCD’s directory lists the department at 215 Gladys Avenue; the City’s own page gives the NE 2nd Street suite above.

Permit types

Residential permits

A complete residential application in ePermitting includes a site plan, construction drawings, the energy forms and a contractor list. New houses also need the moisture content acknowledgment, the residential lighting fixture certification, the energy additional measure selection, and a list of every contractor and subcontractor with their CCB and Hermiston business license numbers. Plans sent electronically are charged a printing fee unless you bring in a paper copy. Homeowners doing their own work, or taking out a permit in their own name, submit the Property Owner Statement required by ORS 701.325(2). Staff check the site plan and the application for missing information, then send an invoice for plan review, which must be paid before the plans go to the plans examiner.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial applications are accepted only through Oregon ePermitting, with an electronic plan set, structural calculations and energy compliance forms, plus one paper copy. Before applying, call Planning to see whether a site plan or conditional use review is needed, and expect a separate civil drawing review for new developments. Plans are checked for completeness and invoiced, and the review fee must be paid before the review can be finished. The operating plan targets about 3 weeks for tenant improvements and 4 to 6 weeks for new commercial and multifamily buildings, longer when plans go to another agency.

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

Every new structural permit waits for a zoning review by the Planning Department, which is paid to Planning; the master fee schedule lists a $75 zoning standards permit compliance review, $550 for a new site plan review, $500 for one or two rounds of civil drawing review and a $200 permit for an accessory dwelling. Conditional uses, variances and partitions go to the Planning Commission, which meets on the second Wednesday of each month and needs applications at least a month ahead. New water and sewer connections need connection permits ($900 for a 3/4-inch water meter and $275 for a single residential sewer connection, plus a $25 account set-up fee) and system development charges, adjusted around January 1 each year.

Hermiston permit costs and fees

Building fees are in the Building Department section of Hermiston’s Master Fee Schedule, adopted by Resolution 2171 in December 2020, amended by Resolutions 2174 (March 2021) and 2332 (July 2024), and last updated for changes effective May 26, 2026; the building valuation table is the same one the department’s March 1, 2023 fee sheet shows. Values come from the ICC table as of April 1 multiplied by floor area, or the applicant’s figure if higher; carports, decks, pole buildings and covered porches at houses are valued at half the private garage rate. The schedule words the surcharge as “General State Surcharge: ORS 455.210 As set by the State of Oregon.”

Worked example. A $150,000 project: $612.90 plus 50 × $3.25 ($162.50) is a permit fee of $775.40. Plan review at 65% adds $504.01 and the 2% technology fee $15.51; at the state’s current 12% surcharge, $93.05 more, for $1,387.97 before trade permits, SDCs and Planning fees.

Other charges: plan revisions $80 an hour, an in-office code consultation $95 an hour, investigation of work started without a permit $120 an hour with a one-hour minimum, and inspections outside business hours $80 an hour. A temporary certificate of occupancy is free for a house and $100 for a commercial building, $75 to extend. Refunds need a written request within 180 days of payment, and the City keeps $25. A simple commercial reroof costs $250, while a house reroof that replaces sheathing is priced by valuation, and a standalone residential fire sprinkler system costs $150 up to 2,000 sq ft, rising to $488 above 7,200 sq ft.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Plumbing and mechanical permits come from the City, and contractors can buy them around the clock in ePermitting. Before any permit is issued, staff check that the applicant meets the state licensing and registration rules for building, electrical and plumbing work.

How to apply for a Hermiston building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The operating plan targets 10 to 14 business days for one- and two-family homes, while a complete permit that needs no plan review is processed within 24 hours. An application with blank fields, missing energy forms or an unpaid plan review invoice is held. After review, the plans examiner emails a letter listing corrections. Permits are valid for 180 days from issue; the first extension request is free, later ones cost $65 per permit, and the City does not have to warn you before a permit expires, though it sends a courtesy notice. A permit less than six months past expiry can be reinstated for $65 plus surcharge; after that you file a new application at current fees, and new plan review may apply.

Inspections in Hermiston

Request inspections in Oregon ePermitting under the schedule tab, or in the Oregon ePermitting app. A request made before 7 a.m. is normally inspected that day if inspections of that type run that day; later requests go to the next day or the next scheduled date for that type.

The City’s inspection list for a new house runs from footing to foundation wall, water and sewer service, underfloor, slab, brace panel and shear wall, plumbing top-out, gas test, mechanical and electrical rough-ins, electrical service, framing, insulation and the finals. Property lines must be marked with string lines and pins at the footing inspection, the gas test is 10 psi for 15 minutes, and the City suggests leaving 24 hours between a slab inspection and the pour.

Hermiston permit search and official resources

Permits are tracked in Oregon ePermitting, which shows status and inspections. The department also posts monthly lists of all permits issued and an archive of issued structural permits on its website; for older files, contact the department. Hermiston’s flood insurance rate map has been in effect since September 3, 2010, according to FEMA, which counts the city among Oregon’s National Flood Insurance Program participants.

• Hermiston Building Department
• Permit application information and forms
• Requesting inspections
• Hermiston Master Fee Schedule
• Building fee schedule page and valuation table
• Residential plan submittal requirements
• General residential building inspections
• Blowing Dust Control Plan
• Fence rules
• Hermiston Planning Department
• Building Department operating plan
• BCD Local Building Department Directory
• 2026 Oregon Residential Specialty Code, chapter 1
• Oregon ePermitting
• Oregon Construction Contractors Board

Hermiston building permit FAQ

How much is a building permit in Hermiston?

The minimum is $63. A $150,000 project pays $775.40 plus 65% plan review and the 2% technology fee, about $1,388 with the state surcharge, before trade permits.

How long does plan review take?

The City’s operating plan estimates 10 to 14 business days for one- and two-family homes, 3 weeks for tenant improvements and 4 to 6 weeks for new commercial or multifamily buildings.

Can a homeowner apply without ePermitting?

Yes. Homeowners doing the work themselves may apply in person or by email; contractors must apply online.

What is a Blowing Dust Control Plan?

A plan required by City Code section 92.12 before any residential or commercial construction, naming someone available 24 hours a day to control dust. It costs $100 to review plus a $300 refundable deposit.

How tall can my front-yard fence be?

No more than 3½ feet in a front yard under City Code section 157.136, and it must keep corners and driveways clear for visibility.

When do I need to request an inspection?

Before 7 a.m. for a same-day visit, through ePermitting or its app; later requests are handled the next inspection day.

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