Permit Fees in Oregon

City	Bathroom	Kitchen	Roof	HVAC	Status
Portland	$1,453.58	$1,729.26	$687.68	$171.36	✓

Oregon runs the opposite of local-adoption chaos: one state code, administered locally. The 2023 Oregon Residential Specialty Code, built on the 2021 IRC, governs one- and two-family construction statewide, and 131 city and county building departments administer it on the state's behalf. The next edition, based on the 2024 IRC, is expected to take effect October 1, 2026. Fee schedules are still set locally by ordinance, which is why Portland and a rural county share a code but not a price.

Every permit in the state also carries a 12 percent surcharge that funds Oregon's code program. It applies to structural, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits alike, even re-inspection fees. Portland's verified numbers, $1,453.58 for a bathroom remodel permit and $1,729.26 for a kitchen, are the second-highest in our 29-city index behind Seattle.

Before a residential permit is issued to an owner who isn't a licensed contractor, Oregon requires a signed Property Owner Statement under ORS 701.325. You confirm that you own and live in the house (or will), that any subcontractors you hire are CCB-licensed, and that the permit can't be transferred. The form carries a warning with teeth: hire unlicensed help and you may legally become their employer, with tax withholding, unemployment insurance, and workers' comp obligations attached.

The state's ePermitting portal covers online applications, but participation is voluntary per jurisdiction, and which permits you can actually buy online differs city by city. One more thing the permit holder owns: the inspection schedule. Required call-ins are your job, not your contractor's.

Sources: Oregon BCD adopted codes · Oregon permit surcharge backgrounder · Property Owner Statement (ORS 701.325) · verified 2026-06