Portland Building Department | Permits, Inspections & Contact

Multnomah County issues building permits and maintains permit records for unincorporated Multnomah County only. County jurisdiction generally means property outside an incorporated city. Portland, Gresham, Fairview, Troutdale, Wood Village, and other cities handle their own building permits and certificates of occupancy, even when they are geographically within Multnomah County.

County permits, land-use review, and permit records

Before applying, confirm the property’s city boundary, urban growth boundary, zoning, and plan area. Multnomah County Land Use Planning provides zoning information, application materials, pre-application help, and Type I, II, and III land-use review for rural and other county-regulated areas. County permit records guidance is the best starting point for historic building permits, certificates of occupancy, renovation records, and land-use records.

Some projects also need county right-of-way, erosion-control, geologic-hazard, or septic-related approvals. A county land-use approval does not replace a building permit, and a building permit does not replace approvals required by another agency.

Inspections and code compliance

County code compliance investigates land-use, right-of-way, and other code violations in unincorporated areas. Work begun without required county approval, or work that differs from the approved permit, can be a code violation. For an issued project, contact the county office shown on the permit for inspection instructions; the county’s public pages distinguish these services from city inspection programs.

Certificates of occupancy and historical permit records must be requested from the agency with jurisdiction over the property. If the address is in Portland or Gresham, use the respective city department rather than this county record page.

Official contact information

Multnomah County Land Use Planning lists 1600 SE 190th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97233 and 503-988-3043 for property, zoning, land-use, and rural permit questions. The county’s permit-records page is the authoritative starting point for confirming whether an address is unincorporated and where its permit history is held.