Multnomah County is the most populous county in Oregon at about 795,000 residents, but it is also the smallest by area and the most heavily incorporated — most of its population lives inside Portland, Gresham and the smaller east-county cities, each of which runs its own permitting. The county itself issues no building permits: it handles land use for its small unincorporated areas, and Portland, Gresham or Troutdale issues the building permit there, depending on location.
This guide covers the uniform statewide code, the county’s limited unincorporated footprint, land use for unincorporated parcels, and where city-limit work goes instead.
This guide covers unincorporated Multnomah County, where the county handles land use and Portland, Gresham or Troutdale issues building permits. Portland, Gresham, Troutdale, Fairview and Wood Village also run their own permitting inside their limits.
Multnomah County is unusual: a huge population but a small unincorporated area, so most ‘Multnomah County’ projects are really city projects. The first step is confirming whether a parcel is inside Portland, Gresham or another city — each runs its own counter — or in genuinely unincorporated county land, where the county handles land use and a neighbouring city issues the building permit.
What requires a building permit in Multnomah 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 Multnomah County, the county handles land use for unincorporated parcels, and Portland, Gresham or Troutdale administers the state code there; work inside the cities is administered by those cities.
Oregon’s building code and its exemptions are the same in Multnomah 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 Multnomah County?
The county handles land use for unincorporated Multnomah County; building permits there come from Portland (west and north of Portland, Jenne Lane and off 162nd south of Foster), Gresham (Pleasant Valley and east of Gresham) or Troutdale (Interlachen Lane and Blue Lake Road). Portland also manages on-site septic systems throughout the county.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Authority | Multnomah County land use; Portland, Gresham or Troutdale for building |
| Seat | Portland |
| Serves | Land use for unincorporated Multnomah County |
| Cities | Portland, Gresham, Troutdale, Fairview, Wood Village |
| 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 | Handled by the incorporated city, not the county |
Because so much of Multnomah County is incorporated, confirm the jurisdiction from the parcel first — a project in Portland files with Portland Permitting and Development, one in Gresham with the City of Gresham, and even on unincorporated ground the county handles only land use, with the building permit from Portland, Gresham or Troutdale. On unincorporated parcels the county handles the land-use question ahead of the building permit.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →The technical code is the same statewide, so what the county sets is the local administration, the fee schedule and the land-use requirements — not the code text.
Permit types
Residential permits
Unincorporated residential work spans west-hills, Sauvie Island and east-county parcels, where land use, floodplain and seismic design come first. Re-roofs beyond the exempt scope, solar and EV chargers need permits, 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 cities; on unincorporated land the county handles land use and a neighbouring city the building permit. Contractors 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
Multnomah County permit costs and fees
Budget the county building permit and plan-review fees, the statewide surcharge, separate trade permits, and any land-use review. Fees follow Oregon’s statewide valuation method but the schedule is set by the county.
| 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 Multnomah 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, Multnomah 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 Multnomah County building department?
Get a free quote →How to apply for a Multnomah County building permit
Portland, Gresham and the east-county cities file with their own counters, and Portland, Gresham or Troutdale also issues building permits for unincorporated areas.
On unincorporated parcels the county reviews land use before the building permit.
Cascadia design reaches most of the county.
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 Multnomah 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. Unincorporated hillside and floodplain parcels add site and drainage verification.
Many Oregon jurisdictions take inspection requests online, several through the state ePermitting system; confirm the method the county 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.
Multnomah County permit search and official resources
Permit records in Oregon sit with the authority that issued them — for unincorporated Multnomah County that is Portland, Gresham or Troutdale, which hold the building permit, the inspection history and the certificate of occupancy. 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.
- Multnomah County Land Use Planning
- Oregon Building Codes Division
- Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB)
- Oregon ePermitting
- Oregon Local Building Department Directory
Frequently asked questions
Does Multnomah County issue permits for Portland?
No. Portland, Gresham and the other cities run their own permitting, and the county handles only land use for its unincorporated areas; building permits there come from Portland, Gresham or Troutdale.
Why is the county’s building role so small?
Multnomah County is the smallest county by area and the most heavily incorporated, so most construction happens inside its cities.
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 most of the county; pull site-specific values from the state Design Criteria Hub.
How do I run a Multnomah County permit search?
Ask the city that issued the permit — Portland, Gresham or Troutdale for unincorporated areas; the county holds land-use records.
Simplify Multnomah County permitting with Alliance Permitting
Multnomah County work turns on jurisdiction first — usually whether a parcel is inside Portland or Gresham — and then on land use and seismic for unincorporated parcels. Confirming those up front is most of the battle in Oregon’s densest county.
Trusted by leading builders, developers, and national contractors — 21+ years of filing in the jurisdictions we write about.
Contractors and builders choose Alliance for Multnomah County because the work is done by people who have stood at the counter:
- We confirm city-versus-county jurisdiction from the parcel.
- We settle the land-use question 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.
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More Oregon permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Multnomah County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.