Union County, Oregon Building Permit Guide

Union County has no building department of its own. All building permits, for unincorporated land and for Cove, Elgin, Imbler, Island City, La Grande, North Powder, Summerville and Union, are issued through the City of La Grande Building Division, using a fee schedule both governments adopted. Zoning comes first, from Union County Planning outside city limits or from the city inside them, and a project valued at $150,000 carries a $1,050 permit fee before plan review and the 12 percent state surcharge.

What requires a building permit in Union County?

The Building Division’s application list sets out the permits it issues: building permits for residential or commercial structures, manufactured dwelling placement, electrical, plumbing, residential and commercial mechanical, demolition, and commercial fire alarm or suppression work. Its fee schedule also prices re-roofs, solar arrays, masonry fireplaces, foundation repair and fences where a permit is required, so those jobs are permitted too once they fall outside the state exemptions.

The exempt list is taken from the 2026 Oregon Residential Specialty Code, chapter 1, mandatory statewide since October 1, 2026. Farm buildings can also be exempt from the structural code under ORS 455.315 when the owner certifies the building meets the agricultural rules; the division has an Agricultural Exemption form for that, and the county’s planning office has its own Ag Exempt application.

What the county and La Grande decide, and what the state holds

Oregon writes the building, residential, trade and energy codes, and neither La Grande nor the county may change them. Locally set are the fee schedule (the 2017 Uniform Fee Methodology adopted by both), the forms and checklists, the inspection line and the land use rules: the county’s Zoning, Partition and Subdivision Ordinance outside city limits and each city’s code inside them.

Union County building department: who handles permitting

The state Building Codes Division’s directory shows one provider for the whole county: the City of La Grande, with Joe Sloan as building official, issuing all building permits in every city and in unincorporated areas such as Medical Springs. The county’s own website links its “Building Permit” button to La Grande, and the division’s submittal sheet carries the heading City of La Grande / Union County Building Safety Division.

Zoning inside each city stays with the city. The division’s residential checklist lists these planning contacts:

Permit types and the steps before them

Residential permits

The division’s residential submittal sheet (revised September 15, 2025) lists what a new house needs at the counter: zoning approval, a Set-back and Flood information form completed by the local planning office, DEQ approval where there will be a septic tank, the additional energy form, the moisture content form, and one set of plans when filed electronically. The plan set covers the approved site plan, foundation, floor joists for each level, roof framing or truss package, floor plans, elevations, a cross section with R-values, beam and header calculations where lumber is not dimensional, and the wall bracing schedule. Owners acting as their own builder file the Property Owner Statement.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial work goes in with the commercial plan submittal checklist, and the division states that an incomplete submittal will not be accepted. The applicant states the project valuation, which must include all labor and materials but not land. Fire alarm and sprinkler permits use their own form, fire and life safety review is 40 percent of the building permit fee, and plumbing, electrical, energy and accessibility reviews are each 25 percent of the building permit fee.

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: on county land, the Planning Department applies the Zoning, Partition and Subdivision Ordinance; a ministerial decision costs $75, an administrative one $150 and a quasi-judicial one $300 under Article 33.00, and an after-the-fact application costs double. In La Grande, Planning offers a free pre-application review with Building, Fire, Public Works and utilities.
• Septic: apply to Harney County’s Environmental Health Program by email or through Oregon ePermitting; it sends the file to Union County Planning to sign the Land Use Compatibility Statement ($30), then issues the permit and inspects.
• Floodplain: any development in the special flood hazard area, fill included, needs a county floodplain development permit under Article 17. Requirements can include raising the lowest floor two feet above the nearest adjacent ground, a flood study, venting, anchoring, and elevation certificates before the foundation pour and at completion.
• Address: a new rural address is $50; the county posts guidance on ADUs, bathrooms in outbuildings and home occupations.

Fees under the 2017 Uniform Fee Methodology

La Grande and Union County both adopted the 2017 Uniform Fee Methodology, a ten-page schedule written to the state’s uniform fee rule (OAR 918-050). Plan review fees are due when you submit and permit fees when the permit is issued. Residential valuations use the state-mandated valuation table; commercial applicants state their own.

State surcharge, in the schedule’s words: “All building, plumbing, mechanical, electrical, and manufactured home permits are subject to the current State of Oregon surcharge, currently set at 12%.” The table figures do not include it.

Worked example: a $150,000 valuation sits in the $100,001 to $1,000,000 band, so the permit is $800 plus 50 × $5 = $1,050. Plan review at 65 percent adds $682.50, and the 12 percent surcharge on the permit fee adds $126, for $1,858.50 before trade permits. Refunds are capped at 75 percent of the permit fee less a $50 processing fee, must be asked for in writing within 180 days, and are not made at all when the original fee was under $70.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The same division issues electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits countywide. A new house’s plumbing is priced by bathroom: $174 for one, $264 for two, $354 for three and $90 for each additional bathroom or kitchen, with a $60 minimum. Residential electrical with service runs $145.75 for up to 1,000 sq ft, a service or feeder up to 200 amps is $86.75, and the residential mechanical minimum is $50.

• Who signs the trade permit: the division’s plumbing permit is issued only to the person or contractor doing the work, and an electrical permit is not transferable.
• Licensing: paid contractors need a Construction Contractors Board license; electricians and plumbers also hold state trade licenses.
• Homeowners: Oregon’s electrical licensing law (ORS 479.540) does not require a license for an owner’s own installation on residential or farm property that is not intended for sale, exchange, lease or rent; ORS 447.060 likewise keeps plumbing licensing off work not done for hire. Permits and inspections still apply.
• Expiry: trade permits lapse if work does not start within 180 days of issue or stops for 180 days.

How to apply

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The checklist page warns that an incomplete submittal will not be accepted, so the review cannot start without zoning sign-off, the flood form and, on septic lots, DEQ approval. Phased projects pay $150 per phase plus 10 percent of the permit fee, up to $1,500 a phase, and deferred submittals pay 65 percent of the fee on the deferred portion with a $250 minimum.

Inspections

Book inspections on the division’s inspection line, 541-962-1317, for every site in the county. Inspections requested outside normal business hours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the fee schedule) cost $82.50 an hour with a two-hour minimum, and inspections with no fee of their own are $55 an hour. Each electrical permit includes a set number of inspections, and extra visits are $69 each.

A temporary certificate of occupancy costs $100 for a house, for up to 30 days, and $300 for a commercial building plus $30 a day after 30 days. Work started without a permit draws an investigation fee of $55 an hour, or $69 an hour for electrical work.

Code editions and flood insurance

Plans are reviewed under the codes the state has in force: the 2025 Oregon Structural Specialty Code for commercial buildings and the 2026 Oregon Residential Specialty Code for houses, whose construction chapters can still be met under the 2023 edition until April 1, 2027; the 2026 electrical and plumbing codes have applied since October 1, 2026. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Union County, La Grande, Island City, Elgin, Union, North Powder and Summerville as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program; Cove and Imbler do not appear in it.

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

Union County building permit FAQ

Where do I get a building permit for land outside La Grande?

Still at La Grande City Hall: the city’s Building Division issues all building permits for unincorporated Union County, after county planning approves the zoning.

What does a permit cost?

It depends on valuation; $150,000 of work means a $1,050 permit fee, $682.50 plan review and $126 state surcharge.

Do I need a permit for a deck?

Not when the deck’s walking surface is no more than 30 inches above grade; higher decks need a building permit.

Who handles septic permits in Union County?

Harney County’s Environmental Health Program, under agreement as DEQ’s agent; Union County Planning signs the land use statement on each application.

Is my lot in a floodplain?

The local planning office tells you on the Set-back and Flood form. If it is, you must give the Building Division a surveyor’s elevation certificate, and county land needs a floodplain development permit.

Can I get a refund if I cancel?

Ask in writing within 180 days; at most 75 percent of the permit fee comes back, less $50, and fees under $70 are not refunded.

Does Union County Planning send invoices by email?

No. Union County Planning warns that it does not request payment by email or mail and asks people to call 541-963-1014 about any such invoice.

Permit search and official resources

Building records for the county and its cities are held by the La Grande Building Division. Ask the division for a permit history by address; the fee schedule charges $55 an hour for research and for retrieving files from off-site archives. Permits bought online can be found with the Building search on Oregon ePermitting, and land use files sit with the county or city planning office that decided them.

• City of La Grande Building Division
• La Grande permit application forms
• La Grande / Union County fee schedule page
• 2017 Uniform Fee Methodology (PDF)
• Residential plan submittal requirements and planning contacts
• Plan submittal checklists
• Union County Planning Department and septic service
• Union County land use applications and forms
• Union County planning fee schedule (Article 33.00)
• Union County floodplain information
• DEQ onsite septic agents by county
• BCD Local Building Department Directory
• Oregon ePermitting
• BCD adopted codes
• Oregon Construction Contractors Board

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