Wilsonville, Oregon Building Permit Guide

Inside Wilsonville’s city limits the Building Division of Community Development issues building, plumbing and mechanical permits, all filed electronically through the City’s online portal, and Clackamas County issues and inspects all electrical work. The division sets a 10-business-day first review for one- and two-family homes and 15 business days for commercial, multifamily and industrial plans, and its plan review fee equals 100% of the building permit fee.

The division is on the first floor of Wilsonville City Hall, 29799 SW Town Center Loop East, open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is led by Building Official Dan Carlson; the City notes that all of its building staff are ICC certified. Wilsonville had 27,833 residents in the Census estimate for 2025, about 24,500 in Clackamas County and 3,300 in Washington County, and one City office permits both parts.

The Clackamas County electrical rule covers the whole city, including the part in Washington County. Land outside city limits is under the county it lies in.

What requires a building permit in Wilsonville?

The City’s answer is that a permit is needed to build, enlarge, alter, move or demolish any one- or two-family dwelling or related structure, and it adds several local thresholds of its own.

What the city decides and what the state holds

The building code and exemptions are the state’s. Wilsonville sets the fee tables by Council resolution, its electronic-only filing, review targets, the Development Code and subdivision rules that Planning applies, tree and erosion control permits, SDCs and the construction work hours in city code 6.204.

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

Wilsonville building department: who handles permitting

Permit technicians, plans examiners and building inspectors in the Building Division handle building, plumbing and mechanical permits. The Planning Division handles setbacks, lot coverage, signs, fences and tree removal permits, and warns that many Wilsonville subdivisions have standards of their own that differ from the zoning rules. Engineering’s private development staff handle erosion control and SDCs. Clackamas County handles every electrical permit and inspection.

Permit types

Residential permits

Every permit has to be submitted electronically in the portal, which also takes payments, shows status and books inspections. For a house or addition the City asks for a site plan with setbacks, floor, foundation, elevation and framing plans, the stamped truss package, the design criteria, engineering where the design is not prescriptive, and the plumbing and mechanical permits. Its residential plan intake checklist, a sample site plan and a site utility template help with new construction, and owners who will act as their own contractor have a separate information sheet. Re-roofing has its own checklist and application.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial, multifamily and industrial work uses a separate fee table and the Tri-County commercial application checklist. Fire and life safety review adds 70% of the building permit fee to the 100% plan review, and mechanical and commercial plumbing plan review are each 55%. The forms page covers tenant improvements (“do I need a permit?”), ADA upgrades to existing buildings, deferred submittals, hazardous materials inventories, kitchen hoods, special inspection agreements with WABO or OBOA agencies, and affidavits for small fire alarm (up to five devices) and sprinkler (up to 10 heads) jobs. Commercial certificates of occupancy use the City’s blue card form, and a certificate of occupancy subcontractor list form sits beside it.

The City’s tenant improvement brochure (BPP 102) says a TI permit is needed before work starts if the type of business changes, seating or occupancy changes, fixed furniture or partitions over 5 feet 9 inches go in, the floor layout changes, parking, landscaping or the building exterior is altered, the previous use was never permitted, mechanical, plumbing or fire sprinkler and alarm parts are altered, or customer counters change. It lists Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue as the fire department, and TI proposals are also checked against other Wilsonville codes.

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

What comes before the building permit

For sheds, ADUs and accessory buildings the City asks owners to start with Planning, which checks the proposal against the Development Code and any subdivision standards, before asking the Building Division whether a permit is needed. Tree removal permits come from Planning. Any project that disturbs more than 500 sq ft of soil needs an erosion control permit from Engineering. SDCs must be paid when the building permit is issued.

Wilsonville permit costs and fees

The posted structural fee schedule took effect July 1, 2025 under Council Resolution 2802 and later resolutions; Resolution 2802 ties the building program’s fees to the West Region consumer price index each July. New construction is valued at the higher of the ICC valuation table in force on April 1 times the floor area, or the applicant’s figure; alterations use the fair market value, and the City may ask for a contractor’s bid. The trade fee sheets add a “State Surcharge 12% of subtotal (or current state rate)”, and demolition is listed as not subject to the surcharge.

Worked example. A home addition valued at $80,000 falls in the $50,001 to $100,000 band: $612.85 plus 30 × $6.02 ($180.60) gives a building permit fee of $793.45, and plan review at 100% adds another $793.45, for $1,586.90 before the state surcharge and the separate plumbing, mechanical and County electrical permits. The bands in the posted table do not join exactly at their edges, so each job is priced inside its own band.

New houses pay SDCs at issuance. The City’s schedule lists $17,322 for transportation and $14,056 for parks per single-family home, $3,532 for storm drainage, and sewer and water charges set by meter size: for a 5/8-inch meter $14,149 for sewer and $12,753 for water including the meter.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Plumbing and mechanical permits come from the City, through the portal. The City lists when each is needed: plumbing for irrigation backflow devices, water heater replacement, piping altered inside walls, ceilings or under floors, and all new installations; mechanical for vented heating and cooling equipment (including unvented decorative appliances), wood and pellet stoves and inserts, gas piping from the meter to any appliance, and vented fans and appliances. Electrical permits for any address in the city are issued and inspected by Clackamas County through its online system.

How to apply for a Wilsonville building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Plans must follow the City’s standards for electronic drawings: PDF only, up to 500 MB, sheets at least 11 by 17 inches, text no smaller than 10 point, markups flattened, files unlocked and no zip files; the City warns that badly formatted plans delay review. The published targets are 10 business days for the first review of a one- or two-family residential project and 5 business days for each later review; commercial, multifamily and industrial projects get 15 business days, then 10. The City publishes a “Plan Review Spin Cycle” flowchart that walks through the review loop, and plan review after the initial submittal, including changes and revisions, is billed at $82 an hour.

Inspections in Wilsonville

Request inspections in the portal and choose a morning slot (9 a.m. to noon) or an afternoon slot (noon to 3 p.m.); the City treats the slot as a request, not a promise. For an estimated arrival time, call 503-682-4960 and press 1 after 8:30 a.m. on the inspection day. The division’s performance policy (BPP 104, 2018) aims for a same-day inspection, Monday to Friday, when the request arrives by 7 a.m. Under policy BPP 103, if work is still not ready on a second visit, the third visit generally carries a re-inspection fee.

Setbacks are checked at the foundation inspection before concrete is poured. Policy BPP 107 makes the applicant responsible for exposing the surveyed property pins and running string lines between them so the inspector can measure to the forms; on tight sites the inspector may require a licensed surveyor to locate the foundation corners and provide a letter.

Construction work hours come from city code 6.204: during standard time 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays, and during daylight saving time 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays. Work on Sunday needs the Building Official’s written consent. Noise complaints go to Wilsonville Police on 503-655-8211.

Wilsonville permit search and official resources

Permit status for current projects is in the City’s portal. For a house’s construction history, Wilsonville Maps shows documents on file for many addresses, and copies can be requested with the City’s public records request form; the City says it may not have the construction drawings for a house, but the file will hold its permit information. Wilsonville takes part in FEMA’s flood insurance program, with flood maps current since June 17, 2008.

• Wilsonville Building Division
• Wilsonville online permitting portal
• Plan review submittal information and timelines
• Building forms and checklists
• Building FAQs: sheds, decks, fences, trade permits
• 2026 Oregon Residential Specialty Code, chapter 1 (permits and exemptions)
• Fee schedules including SDCs
• SDC fee schedule (2026)
• Inspection information
• Construction work hours
• Electrical permits through Clackamas County
• Public records request form
• State notice of Wilsonville’s 2026 fee adjustment
• Oregon Construction Contractors Board

Wilsonville building permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Wilsonville?

The City’s Building Division at City Hall, 29799 SW Town Center Loop East (503-682-4960), for building, plumbing and mechanical work. Electrical permits come from Clackamas County.

How much is a building permit in Wilsonville?

On the posted July 2025 table an $80,000 residential job pays $793.45 plus the same again for plan review, before the state surcharge; the City planned a 3.0% increase from July 1, 2026.

How long does plan review take?

Ten business days for the first review of a house project and five for each resubmittal; 15 and 10 business days for commercial, multifamily and industrial projects.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

The City’s FAQ says over 6 feet, but the 2026 state code bars a permit requirement for wood, wire-mesh or chain-link fences 7 feet or less. Start with Planning in any case.

Can I build on a Sunday?

Not without the Building Official’s written consent; Saturday work is allowed from 9 a.m.

Can I request a morning inspection?

Yes, choose the 9 a.m. to noon slot in the portal, but the time is a request, not a guarantee.

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