Medford is the largest city in southern Oregon at about 86,000 residents, the commercial, medical and retail hub of the Rogue Valley in Jackson County. Building permits are issued by the city’s Building Safety Department, which handles plan review, permits and inspections under the uniform statewide code, in a region still rebuilding after the destructive 2020 fires.
This guide covers the Building Safety Department and how to reach it, the uniform statewide code, the current wildfire-mitigation picture after the 2025 repeal of the statewide map, and how fees and inspections work.
This guide covers work inside the City of Medford limits. Jackson County and nearby Central Point, Phoenix and Ashland are separate authorities.
Medford anchors a Rogue Valley that is still rebuilding after the 2020 fires, and the wildfire rules changed in 2025. After the state repealed its statewide wildfire hazard map and mandatory defensible-space requirements, wildfire mitigation is now a local decision — confirm what standards, if any, the city applies. The Building Safety Department administers the uniform state code, with land-use and design review alongside.
What requires a building permit in Medford?
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 Medford, the city’s Building Safety Department administers the state code alongside land-use review; with the statewide wildfire map repealed in 2025, any wildfire-mitigation standards are now set locally.
Oregon’s building code and its exemptions are the same in Medford 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 Medford?
The Building Safety Department handles plan review, permit issuance and inspections inside the city, with land-use and planning review alongside.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Authority | City of Medford Building Safety Department |
| Offices | Medford |
| Serves | Work inside the City of Medford limits |
| Region | Commercial, medical and retail hub of the Rogue Valley |
| Wildfire | Statewide map repealed in 2025; mitigation now set locally |
| Code | Oregon Specialty Codes (uniform statewide) |
| Seismic | Design via the state Design Criteria Hub |
| Contractor credentials | CCB licence for almost any paid job |
The Building Safety Department reviews plans, issues permits and inspects construction inside the city. Wildfire recovery has been a defining recent theme in the Rogue Valley; since the state repealed the statewide wildfire hazard map and its mandatory defensible-space and construction requirements in 2025, any wildfire-mitigation standards now come from the city or an adopted model code. Land-use and design review can clear ahead of the building permit.
As the regional medical and retail hub, Medford keeps commercial and institutional volume high; the technical code is the uniform state code.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →In 2025, building permits issued in Medford authorized 619 new privately owned housing units, 326 of them single-family homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey.
Permit types
Residential permits
Residential work includes continued rebuilding alongside infill and subdivision growth. Re-roofs beyond the exempt scope, solar and EV chargers need permits, any local defensible-space standard should be confirmed, 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 runs from the regional medical centre and retail corridors to office and institutional projects, all subject to plan review, land use, and the CCB licence requirement, with electrical and plumbing work 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
Medford permit costs and fees
Budget the city building permit and plan-review fees, the statewide surcharge, separate trade permits, and any land-use or design review a parcel triggers. Fees follow Oregon’s statewide valuation method with the city 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 Medford 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, Medford 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 building department?
Get a free quote →How to apply for a Medford building permit
Central Point, Phoenix, Ashland and unincorporated ground are separate authorities.
The statewide map was repealed in 2025; any standards are now local.
Some parcels raise it ahead of the building permit.
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 Building Safety 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 Medford
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. Rebuild and wildland-interface work adds site and, where locally required, defensible-space verification.
Many Oregon jurisdictions take inspection requests online, several through the state ePermitting system; confirm the method the Building Safety Department 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.
Medford permit search and official resources
Permit records in Oregon sit with the authority that issued them — where the Building Safety Department administers the code, it holds the building permit, the inspection history and the certificate of occupancy for work in the City of Medford limits. 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.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →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.
- City of Medford Building Safety
- Oregon Building Codes Division
- Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB)
- Oregon State Fire Marshal (defensible space)
- Oregon Design Criteria Hub (seismic and site)
Frequently asked questions
Where do I get a Medford building permit?
From the city’s Building Safety Department, which handles plan review, permits and inspections inside the city.
Do I have to meet statewide wildfire building rules?
Not automatically. Oregon repealed its statewide wildfire hazard map and mandatory defensible-space requirements in 2025; any wildfire standards are now set locally, so confirm the city’s position.
Is the building code different from Jackson County?
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 Medford 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.
Is wildfire rebuilding still active here?
Yes. The Rogue Valley continues to rebuild after the destructive 2020 fires, alongside normal construction.
How do I run a Medford permit search?
Use the city’s own permit search; the permit and inspection history sit with the city.
Simplify Medford permitting with Alliance Permitting
Medford anchors a Rogue Valley still rebuilding after 2020, and the wildfire rules changed in 2025. Confirming jurisdiction, land use and the current local mitigation position up front keeps a southern Oregon project on track.
Trusted by leading builders, developers, and national contractors — 21+ years of filing in the jurisdictions we write about.
Contractors and builders choose Alliance for Medford because the work is done by people who have stood at the counter:
- We confirm city-versus-county jurisdiction from the parcel.
- We confirm the current local wildfire-mitigation position.
- We clear land-use and design review before the building permit.
- We verify every contractor holds a current CCB licence.
- We assemble the city plan set and track the review.
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 Medford sooner?
Let Alliance prepare, file, and track your Medford permits while your crew stays on the job.
More Oregon permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Medford permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.