Overview
Portland Permitting and Development (PP&D) administers city building permits. Portland also provides building-permit services for Maywood Park and some unincorporated Multnomah County areas; confirm the service jurisdiction for the specific property.
Application portal
Development Hub PDX (DevHub)
Electrical homeowner limit
Owner-occupied home; rental and ADU exclusions
Trades
Select a trade for its permit path, licensing, code resources, fees and filing pitfalls.
Residential electrical and service work
Portland PP&DApplicable Code
Oregon electrical requirements and Portland electrical provisions; the permit is separate from building work.
License Requirement
Contractors need both Oregon CCB and BCD electrical licenses. Homeowner work is limited to an individually owned, occupied home, excluding rental and ADU work.
License Fee
Oregon CCB and BCD licensing schedules
CEUs
BCD electrical-license renewal requirements
Permit Fee
July 10, 2026: first branch circuit without service/feeder = $174; each additional = $21. Three circuits: $216 + $25.92 state surcharge = $241.92; plan review adds 25% when required.
Plan Review Time
The residential electrical service page states issuance within 24 hours after payment; plan-review scopes use the separate submission route.
Common Pitfalls
- Each new townhouse needs its own electrical permit.
- Inspection 199 Final Electrical Permit is required to approve and close the record.
Permit-to-closeout workflow
Research site
PortlandMaps parcel, zoning, existing use and permit history
Choose permits
Building, trade, zoning, site and Fire & Rescue as needed
Apply in DevHub
Submit the required plans, contractor licenses and valuation
Clear checksheets
Pay intake charges and address all review comments
Issue and inspect
Use approved plans and the permit inspection card
Close each record
Finish building, trade and fire finals for the actual scope
Permit fees and worked estimates
FINAL PP&D schedules effective July 10, 2026 set trade and valuation rates. Building review/process is 65% of the permit fee; electrical plan review is 25% when required. A 12% Oregon surcharge applies to building and trade permit fees. Commercial mechanical review is 60%. Project valuation includes labor/materials and applicable fair-market costs. PF&R is a separate schedule; its currently linked exhibit is dated July 1, 2019 and is not treated here as a newly adopted 2026 rate.
| Trade | Permit fee | License fee |
|---|---|---|
| Residential electrical and service work | July 10, 2026: first branch circuit without service/feeder = $174; each additional = $21. Three circuits: $216 + $25.92 state surcharge = $241.92; plan review adds 25% when required. | Oregon CCB and BCD licensing schedules |
| Residential plumbing permits | July 10, 2026: standard fixtures/water heater $63 each, subject to $161 minimum permit; 12% state surcharge additional. Three fixtures: $189 + $22.68 = $211.68, before other scope. | State contractor and plumbing credential schedules |
| Heating, cooling and ventilation | July 10, 2026: residential furnace $91, heat pump $84, minimum permit $167. One furnace permit at the minimum + 12% surcharge = $187.04; electrical/gas scope additional. | Oregon contractor and applicable specialty credential schedules |
| Sprinkler and alarm installations | Published PF&R system schedules use valuation-based inspection + 65% plan review; fire charges are separate from PP&D. The linked PF&R exhibit is dated July 1, 2019; confirm the assessed current rate before budgeting. | System-specific credentials; verify with the Fire permit center |
| Building and site coordination | July 10, 2026: $10,000 valuation = $220.85 + 8 × $13.91 = $332.13 building permit. 65% review and 12% state permit surcharge give approximately $587.87 before other charges. | Oregon CCB licensing schedule |
Homeowner work and trade credentials
Portland’s residential electrical guidance limits homeowner wiring to individually owned and occupied homes; it excludes rental, sale/lease/exchange properties and ADUs. Electrical contractors need CCB and BCD electrical licenses. The plumbing and mechanical pages allow recorded individual owners to perform their own work but exclude LLC ownership. Use the owner-doing-work statement where required.
Choose your permit route
Use the City Start Guide and project pages to distinguish residential, commercial, trade and site-development permits. Many applications use Development Hub PDX (DevHub), while some permit types have email or other submission instructions.
Submission checklist
Application and review
Follow the selected permit’s submission route and pay intake fees to begin review. Respond to every checksheet item and resubmit corrected plans. After approval and pre-issuance review, pay the remaining charges and obtain the permit, approved plans and inspection card.
Codes, rules and local guidance
Use PP&D’s Codes, Rules and Guides page for Oregon construction codes, Portland regulations and discipline-specific interpretations. Select the material relevant to the proposed work; a narrow code guide does not establish the entire code set for every project.
Inspections and closeout
Use Schedule an Inspection and the permit inspection card to arrange the required stages. Keep the approved plans available, resolve corrections and obtain the applicable final approvals before treating the work as complete.