About the Code Alignment Project 2

A clear, predictable, and straightforward permitting system is foundational to economic growth and housing development. When codes are unclear, conflicting, or unnecessarily complex, projects stall, costs rise, and in some cases are abandoned altogether.

The Code Alignment Project 2 (CAP 2) continues the work begun in the first Code Alignment Project, resolving the code conflicts and complexities that make Portland's permitting process harder than it needs to be.  

View full size image of A large eight-story multi-family housing building on the corner of a busy street.

Working in partnership with the business and housing development communities, the CAP 2 project team will identify code and policy obstacles that cause delays and recommend solutions. The project will work to harmonize the codes that people encounter during the permitting process—including Public Improvement, Zoning, and the Tree codes—by resolving conflicts, closing ambiguities, and eliminating inefficiencies. The result is clearer rules of the road for everyone.  

Code reform has positive outcomes for people and communities:

• For housing developers and builders, clearer code means faster approvals, lower carrying costs, and more predictable project timelines — accelerating the housing supply Portland needs.
• For businesses, streamlined permitting reduces the time and expense of starting, expanding, or relocating, making starting and expanding a business in Portland easier.
• For the City, harmonized code across development-related titles reduces staff interpretation burden, decreases appeals, and builds public trust in the permitting system.
• For Portland as a whole, a well-functioning permitting system is infrastructure for growth, enabling the housing and economic development that supports a thriving, equitable city.

Project Timeline

• Summer 2026: CAP 2 scope development
• Fall 2026 - Winter 2027: Concept development 
• Spring 2027: Discussion Draft (Draft 1) released for public review and comment
• Summer 2027: Proposed Draft (Draft 2) released for Urban Forestry Commission and Planning Commission public hearings
• Fall 2027 - Winter 2028: Recommended Draft released for (Draft 3) City Council public hearings and adoption.
• Winter - Spring 2028: Code and rule changes effective

Project background

In 2021, former City Commissioners Mingus Mapps and Dan Ryan created a Permitting Improvement Task Force to address long-standing permitting issues raised by the Building Permit Review Audit. The first Code Alignment Project originated as a recommendation from this task force, which recognized that meaningful, sustained improvements to Portland's permitting system must be holistic in nature and should resolve code conflicts and complexities that create barriers to development.  

In 2024, Portland City Council adopted ordinance 191736 to establish a new single permitting authority, called Portland Permitting & Development (PP&D). PP&D combines permitting teams that implement regulations for right-of-way improvements with permitting teams that regulate private property development. This new structure creates an opportunity to examine the City's development-related codes and policies, identify conflicts, and develop cross-functional solutions to improve the permitting experience.  

CAP 2 builds on of the first Code Alignment Project package (CAP 1). Adopted by Portland City Council in September 2025, CAP 1 suspends certain rules that apply to projects that add to or alter existing developments. CAP 2 will include long-term solutions to those temporary measures, which are set to expire in 2029.