Minisplit installations: Faster, easier commercial mechanical permits start July 10

Good news for building owners and contractors: starting Friday, July 10, installing a ductless minisplit in an existing low-rise commercial multi-family building gets a lot easier.

Until now, these projects needed a plan review before you could get a commercial mechanical permit. That added time, paperwork, and cost.

Beginning July 10, you can skip the plan review and go straight to purchasing a commercial mechanical permit—as long as your project meets a few simple criteria:

• The unit is four tons or smaller.
• Only one ductless minisplit system is installed per dwelling unit.
• There are no penetrations through common walls between dwelling units or common areas.
• The outdoor condenser can sit on an existing patio or deck.
• The outdoor condenser can be wall‑mounted on an exterior wall if it is at least five feet from the property line and the condenser encroaches no more than 20%.
• No existing heat sources are being removed.

If your project doesn't meet these qualifications, don't worry, you can still move forward. You'll just need to apply for a commercial mechanical permit with plan review.

Send mechanical permit applications to PPDTradePermits@portlandoregon.gov.

This change is designed to save time, reduce costs, and help more heating‑and‑cooling projects move ahead quickly and safely.

Get the mechanical permit application.