Who Issues My Building Permit? Clackamas County or Your City

If your house is in unincorporated Clackamas County, the county issues all types of building permits. Inside city limits, read the row for that city: some use county services for all the listed permit types, some handle their own, and some split the work. Sort out which of those two situations you are in before you draw plans or sign a contract, because it decides who you apply to and who shows up to inspect the work.

Unincorporated county or inside a city

Clackamas County's building permit responsibility by jurisdiction page is the document to read first. For unincorporated areas it says the county is responsible for issuing all types of building permits. For incorporated cities it says jurisdiction for issuing permits varies between the city and the county by type of permit, and then it lists the split city by city.

Use the county jurisdiction page and its address-lookup link instead of deciding from the mailing address alone. I would write down the jurisdiction before doing anything with a permit form. A familiar city name on an envelope is a poor substitute for checking the actual property. If the map leaves you unsure, describe the address to the building office and ask them to confirm it.

The electrical permit is the one that catches people

Read the jurisdiction table one city at a time. Sandy lists county electrical services, while Estacada lists city electrical services. Do not carry the Sandy arrangement into a different city. The county jurisdiction table lists mechanical and plumbing responsibilities separately for each city. Check those rows for your city rather than assuming the county handles them.

The county homeowner page says a project may need more than one permit. In Sandy, the structural and electrical parts can go to different offices. I would put the permit types beside the proposed work on a sheet of paper before making those calls, so neither conversation depends on a vague description of a remodel.

How it works in Sandy

The City of Sandy's Building Division says it runs the city's structural, mechanical, and plumbing processes for the construction industry, and for electrical inspection or permitting information it tells you to contact Clackamas County. So a remodel inside Sandy city limits can involve two offices on the same job. That is how the city and the county divided the work out here, and it is normal.

The county table lists responsibilities separately for each city, and those assignments are not identical. What you learned about one address does not carry over to the next address.

Who applies, you or your contractor

Both routes exist, and they are separate processes with separate paperwork.

The county's page for licensed contractors says licensed contractors who need mechanical, electrical, or plumbing permits can apply online through Development Direct Self Service Permits. In-person applications go to the Development Services Building, for payment by cash, money order, cashier's check, or business checks that cannot be processed online. The county says applications submitted through Development Direct with a credit card or echeck have the shortest turnaround.

There is a separate basic homeowner process for mechanical, electrical, or plumbing work you are doing on your own residence or your home-based business. The homeowner checklist requires a Property Owner's Statement from applicants who are not licensed with the Construction Contractors Board.

Settle this before any work starts, and settle it in writing in the bid. Ask who is applying and which offices they are applying to. Ask whether the permit fees sit in their number or in yours. I would rather tell you something you do not want to hear while we are still talking about the job than have it come up halfway through it.

Check the whole scope before applying

I would keep a short project description beside the permit list. If the plan includes moving a wall and adding circuits, name both changes when you talk to the office. Ask them to identify the applications for that scope rather than asking only whether you need a building permit. That gives you a written question you can return to if the plan changes. Keep the answer with your project notes, along with the office and the date, instead of relying on what somebody remembers from the call.

Settling it for your address

Start on the jurisdiction page and find your city, or confirm your address is unincorporated. Then call the county Building Division at 503-742-4240, the number the county lists for assistance, give them the address and a plain description of the work, and ask which permits come from them. If you are inside city limits, call that city's building office and ask the same question. Write down what each office told you and the date you asked.

A neighbor's story about the shop he put up is not a jurisdiction ruling. Check your own address against the county jurisdiction information rather than copying a neighbor's application. Take the time to get the answer for your work, at your property, before treating any general guide as the final word.