Portland building department

Multnomah County regulates land use, zoning, and county roads in the unincorporated parts of the county, meaning areas outside any city, including rural farm and forest land and parts of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. According to the county, building permits for unincorporated property are issued by specific cities, and the county’s Land Use Planning division reviews those building plans for zoning compliance. Property inside Portland, Gresham, Fairview, Troutdale, Wood Village, or Maywood Park is handled entirely by that city.

Which agency issues your building permit

The county’s regional partners page lists which city issues building permits for unincorporated areas:

Property location	Building permits issued by
Portland, and unincorporated areas west and north of Portland, plus Jenne Lane off 162nd south of Foster	City of Portland, 1900 SW 4th Ave., 503-823-7300
Gresham, Pleasant Valley, and unincorporated areas east of Gresham (outside Fairview, Troutdale, and Wood Village)	City of Gresham, 1333 NW Eastman Parkway, 503-618-2780
Troutdale, Interlachen Lane, and Blue Lake Road	City of Troutdale, 2200 SW 18th Way, 503-674-7272
Fairview	City of Fairview, 1300 NE Village St., 503-674-6206
Wood Village	City of Wood Village, 2055 NE 238th Dr., 503-667-6211

Countywide, the City of Portland also manages all on-site sewage disposal and septic systems (503-823-6892, [email protected]). The Portland Bureau of Transportation handles sewer permits. Use the county’s interactive zoning map to check whether a property is inside a city.

County zoning review for building plans

When you apply for a building permit on unincorporated land, the issuing city refers you to Multnomah County to submit your building plans for zoning review. The steps:

1. Get land use approvals first. Any required land use permit must be approved before you submit building plans for zoning review.
2. Get a zoning checklist from the Planner on Duty.
3. Submit digitally through the county’s EnerGov customer portal, choosing the “Zoning Plan Review” application. Include the Type I–IV application form, a site plan, a floor plan, building elevations, service provider review forms, and anything else on your checklist. Plans must be drawn to engineering or architectural scale.
4. Pay the invoice. Invoices come only from [email protected]. The application isn’t “received” until it is fully paid, and payments after 4 p.m. count as received the next business day. The assigned planner sends a status update within 30 days.

Projects that disturb ground may also need a Geologic Hazards, Erosion and Sediment Control, or Minimal Impact Project permit. Once one of those is issued, you can self-schedule an erosion control inspection with Code Compliance.

Fees

The county’s FY 2027 land use fee schedule (effective July 1, 2026) includes:

Item	Fee
Zoning plan check (new development, new development with demolition, or other site plan review)	$527
Demolition permit only, or revisions to previously approved plans	$324
Minimal Impact Project	$150
Stormwater drainage control	$150

Building permit fees themselves are charged by the issuing city.

Talking to a planner

Contact Land Use Planning through the online Ask a Planner form, by email at [email protected], or by voicemail at 503-988-3043. The office can’t receive texts. Have the property address, tax lot number, or alternate account number ready.

• Appointments: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, by phone, video, or in person.
• Walk-in counter: Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, 1–4 p.m., first come, first served. The last customer is seen at 3:45 p.m.
• Columbia River Gorge: Zoning for properties in the National Scenic Area currently displays incorrectly on the county map, so contact staff for the correct zoning.

Code compliance

County Code Compliance investigates land use, right-of-way, and solid waste violations outside city limits, plus right-of-way issues on a few major roads in east county cities. Work started without a required permit or approval, or done outside its terms, is a code violation. Contact 503-988-5508 or [email protected]. County roads in unincorporated areas need access permits from Transportation Planning and Development Review ([email protected]). State highways are permitted by ODOT. See the unpermitted work guide for general background.

Permit records

Multnomah County keeps land use records for unincorporated areas, which you can request through Land Use Planning’s public records process. Building permits and certificates of occupancy for property inside a city come from that city. Some historic permits for county properties appear under “Historic Permits” on Portland Maps. Heating oil tank records are held by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.