Newberg, Oregon Building Permit Guide

In the City of Newberg, the Building Division reviews plans and issues and inspects structural, mechanical and plumbing permits, and applications must be filed electronically through the City’s OpenGov portal, a rule in place since April 1, 2022. Yamhill County, not the City, issues and inspects electrical permits for Newberg. Under the Master Fee Schedule in force from July 1, 2026 (Resolution No. 2026-4022), a $20,000 project pays a $274.04 permit fee plus 85% of that for plan review.

The division is part of Community Development at City Hall, 414 E. First Street (503-537-1240), with Brooks Bateman as Building Official. Newberg, a Yamhill County city of about 26,900 people (Census estimate for 2025), also provides plan review and inspections under contract for Dayton, Dundee and Lafayette; for all three the City’s contact list says permits are submitted to and issued by those cities.

The City’s permits cover land inside Newberg. Property outside the city is permitted by Yamhill County, and Dayton, Dundee and Lafayette applicants file with their own city halls.

What requires a building permit in Newberg?

Newberg separates permits that need plan review, which it calls building permits, from same-day permits that do not. The fee schedule also covers fire sprinkler and alarm permits, swimming pools, signs, commercial manufactured buildings and backflow devices.

Grading has dropped off the building side: Resolution No. 2026-4022 removed Newberg’s grading permit fees because the current structural code lists grading as outside its authority.

What Newberg decides and what the state holds

Commercial buildings follow the 2025 Oregon Structural Specialty Code, mandatory since April 1, 2026. Houses follow the 2026 Oregon Residential Specialty Code, whose chapter 1 on permits and exemptions became mandatory on October 1, 2026 ahead of the technical chapters on April 1, 2027. Newberg decides its fees, its submittal rules and inspection practice, zoning and land use, and its system development charges under chapter 13.05 of the Newberg Municipal Code.

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

Newberg building department: who handles permitting

The Building Division is a small team: the Building Official, who also inspects, a plans examiner, a commercial plumbing plans examiner and inspector, and two administrative assistants. Planning, engineering and building share the Permit Center, where a planner is on duty Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Yamhill County Planning and Development issues electrical permits and also handles septic permits as DEQ’s agent.

Permit types

Residential permits

A house, ADU or addition is uploaded to OpenGov with construction plans, a site plan (required with every set of construction plans) and supporting documents, typically elevations, foundation, roof framing, wall section and floor plans, plus engineering where the design needs it. Rooftop solar on the prescriptive path uses the City’s residential solar checklist and costs $111.14. Planning, stormwater and engineering review of a single-family house site plan is a separate $215.25 per permit.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial projects follow the same electronic route, with plan review at 85% of the building permit fee and a further 60% for fire and life safety review. Fire alarm, commercial sprinkler and Type 1 hood suppression permits, commercial manufactured buildings and signs are priced on the building valuation table. Revisions, deferred submittals, ASIs and RFIs are all uploaded through OpenGov; a deferred submittal costs $287.35 or 10% of the permit fee for the deferred work, whichever is greater. Commercial plumbing is reviewed and inspected by the City’s commercial plumbing examiner, who inspects on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

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

What comes before the building permit

Zoning and land use go through Planning at the same Permit Center, and the City’s Community Development Fee of 0.75% of project valuation pays for that customer, planning, zoning and engineering review ahead of building plan review. Sidewalk and driveway approach permits come from engineering ($36.92 base). Septic systems are permitted by Yamhill County. New homes also pay the Newberg School District construction excise tax and Chehalem Park and Recreation charges, which the City’s fee notice lists among third-party fee increases. Newberg is NFIP community 410256 in FEMA’s status book, with current flood maps dated March 2, 2010, the same date as Yamhill County’s.

Newberg permit costs and fees

Newberg’s fees sit in its citywide Master Fee Schedule. The Council adopted the current version on June 1, 2026 by Resolution No. 2026-4022, effective July 1, 2026, raising building fees by the 2.7% CPI-U and cutting the wastewater SDC by 7% while raising the transportation SDC by 6.06%. The City notes that permit fees are based on the issuance date and that the plan review fee is due at submittal.

Worked example. A $20,000 remodel is in the $2,001 to $25,000 band: $133.64 plus 18 × $7.80 ($140.40) gives a building permit fee of $274.04, and plan review at 85% adds $232.93, for $506.97. The Community Development Fee on that valuation is $150 (0.75% of $20,000), and the technology fee and state surcharge come on top.

System development charges

For a new single-family house the 2026 schedule lists a wastewater SDC of $5,587 for the first 18 fixture units and $310.39 for each fixture unit above that, a potable water SDC of $7,846.12 for a 3/4-inch meter ($13,338.40 for a 1-inch meter), a storm SDC of $629.57 per equivalent dwelling unit, and a transportation SDC of $6,645.78 per unit. Other buildings pay the storm charge on impervious area divided by 2,877 sq ft, and commercial transportation SDCs use the formula units × ITE PM peak-hour vehicle trip rate × 1.68 × $3,878.26. Under Ordinance 2922 (NMC 13.05.040(C)), single-family units of 1,000 sq ft or less, including ADUs and small cottage cluster or duplex units, can ask for a 20% SDC reduction, but cannot combine it with any other SDC waiver or discount.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Newberg issues mechanical and plumbing permits, including the plumbing (backflow) permit that a stand-alone residential fire sprinkler needs alongside its building permit. It has no electrical program: electrical permits and inspections for Newberg addresses come from Yamhill County Planning and Development (503-434-7516). Residential mechanical items are priced per appliance; a furnace under 100,000 BTU is $27.40, for example.

How to apply for a Newberg building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The City puts plan review at typically four to six weeks for a complete application. Hold-ups usually come from a set uploaded without its site plan, missing engineering or supporting sheets, an application nobody follows up when no acknowledgement arrives within three business days, and electrical work waiting on the separate county permit. A permit about to expire can be extended by a letter on letterhead to the Building Official giving the site address, permit number, date and reason, signed.

Inspections in Newberg

Book inspections on the Newberg Permitting Portal or by phone on 503-554-7714; email requests are not accepted. Requests received after 7 a.m. go on the next business day’s calendar. Inspections usually run from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., the inspector typically leaves the office at 10 a.m., and the City cannot take morning or afternoon requests, set times or calls before arrival, except for concrete pours. Nobody needs to be on site if a lock box and code are provided. Results are posted on the portal, and a reinspection costs $111.14.

The City’s typical sequence for a new single-family house is footing and setbacks, foundation, then underfloor framing, plumbing and mechanical (which can be requested together), underfloor insulation, rough-in plumbing, mechanical rough-in with the gas pressure test, framing and shearwall nailing, wall insulation, and sheetrock nailing where the sheetrock serves as a shearwall. Gas lines are tested at 10 pounds for 15 minutes on low-pressure systems and 60 pounds for 30 minutes on high-pressure ones. At the end come the plumbing and mechanical finals, the Yamhill County electrical final (which must be approved before the building final), an engineering final for sidewalk, approach, curb and drains, a Planning landscape check, and the building final, which looks at final grade, house numbers, the insulation certificate, steps, railings, the porch and smoke detectors.

Newberg permit search and official resources

Inspection results are posted on the Newberg Permitting Portal, and the Building Division publishes an issued building permit report. Older paper records are requested through the City’s public records process, which has its own fee section in the Master Fee Schedule.

• Newberg Building Division
• How to submit for a Newberg building permit
• Newberg Permitting Portal (OpenGov)
• Newberg inspections
• Newberg permit fees and SDC reduction
• Resolution No. 2026-4022, Master Fee Schedule effective July 1, 2026
• Newberg building contacts, including Dayton, Dundee and Lafayette
• Newberg building documents and forms
• Newberg Planning Division
• Yamhill County electrical permits
• Oregon Building Codes Division: codes in effect
• 2026 Oregon Residential Specialty Code, chapter 1 (permits and exemptions)
• FEMA Community Status Book for Oregon
• Oregon Construction Contractors Board license search

Newberg building permit FAQ

Who issues electrical permits in Newberg?

Yamhill County. The City of Newberg does not receive, issue or inspect electrical permits; call Yamhill County at 503-434-7516.

How much is a building permit in Newberg?

$133.64 for the first $2,000 of valuation plus $7.80 per $1,000 up to $25,000, with plan review at 85%, a 0.75% Community Development Fee and a 5% technology fee; a $20,000 job is $506.97 before those two fees and the state surcharge.

How long does plan review take in Newberg?

Typically four to six weeks for a complete application.

Can I submit paper plans in Newberg?

No. Applications have had to be electronic since April 1, 2022, but the City keeps a laptop at the City Hall counter for in-person digital submittal.

What has to pass before the building final in Newberg?

The plumbing and mechanical finals, the Yamhill County electrical final, the engineering final for sidewalk, approach, curb and drains, and the Planning landscape check.

Can I ask for a set inspection time in Newberg?

Generally not. The City does not take morning or afternoon requests or call before arriving; concrete pours are the exception.

Does Newberg reduce SDCs for small homes?

Yes. A single-family unit of 1,000 sq ft or less, including an ADU, can request a 20% SDC reduction under Ordinance 2922, but not together with another SDC discount.

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