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Fees
Portland Permitting & Development fees are updated annually. They are subject to approval by the Portland City Council and the Multnomah County Commission. These include fees for residential, commercial, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, site development, signs and awning permits, and others.
Fee-related services include permits for new and altered buildings and their properties, land use reviews, certificates and registrations, inspections, and other compliance services and fees collected for other Portland bureaus.
The following information outlines the individual fees and charges that might be part of your total project cost:
- Your project could have fees from several fee tables. For example, a residential addition could have fees from the building permit, site development, plumbing, and electrical fee tables.
- System Development Charges and development fees. In addition to System Development Charges, other City bureaus may charge development fees. Please review their fee schedules below.
- Metro Tax. Your project could be affected by the Metro Construction Excise Tax.
- Surcharge. For all building, plumbing, electrical, and mechanical permits, a 12% surcharge is applied by the State of Oregon.
- Contact the Development Services Center for the estimated costs associated with your specific project.
City of Portland fee schedules
| Permit or Service (listed in alphabetical order) | Fee Schedule |
|---|---|
| Building and other permits | |
| Electrical permit | |
| Environmental review | |
| Enforcement and penalties | |
| Land use services | |
| Marijuana regulatory license | |
| Mechanical permit | |
| Noise variance | |
| Plumbing permit | |
| Sign, awning permit and registration | |
| Site development | |
| Transportation review | |
| Tree Permitting review | |
| Water review |
Unincorporated Multnomah County fee schedules
| Permit or Service (listed in alphabetical order) | Fee Schedule |
|---|---|
| Building and other permits | |
| Electrical permit | |
| Enforcement and penalties | |
| Land use services | |
| Mechanical permit | |
| On-site sewage disposal | |
| Plumbing permit | |
| Sign, awning permit and registration | |
| Site development |
Other City Bureaus - Fee Schedules
System Development Charges (SDCs)
If you are applying for a building permit for development in the City of Portland, system development charges (SDCs) may apply to your project. SDCs are one-time fees based on the proposed new use or increase in use of a property. They apply to both new construction and residential projects which increase the impact on city infrastructure.
Important! Depending on the project, SDCs may increase a project's budget substantially. It is important to determine the impact of SDC fees as early as possible in the process.
Learn more about system development charges
School construction excise tax
Oregon law allows school districts, in cooperation with cities and counties, to tax new residential and non‐residential development to pay for a portion of the cost of new or expanded school facilities.
School construction excise taxes may be imposed only on improvements to real property that result in a new structure or additional square footage in an existing structure. The tax is assessed per square foot on structures or portions of structures intended for residential or non-residential use.
A school construction excise tax pays for capital improvements including land acquisition; construction, reconstruction or improvement of school facilities; acquisition or installation of equipment, furnishings or other tangible property; architectural, engineering, legal or similar costs associated related to capital improvements; or the payment of obligations and related costs of issuance that are issued to finance or refinance capital improvements.
School construction excise tax rates as of July 1, 2026:
| School district | Rate per square foot on structures intended for residential use | Rate per square foot on structures intended for non-residential use | Maximum for non-residential use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaverton | $1.70 | $0.85 | $42,400 |
| Centennial | $1.70 | $0.85 | $42,400 |
| David Douglas | $1.67 | $0.84 | $41,800 |
| Lake Oswego | $1.63 | $0.82 | $40,800 |
| Parkrose | $1.63 | $0.82 | $40,800 |
| Portland | $1.70 | $0.85 | $42,400 |
| Riverdale | $1.67 | $0.84 | $41,800 |
| Scappoose | $1.41 | $0.70 | $30,700 |
Portland Permitting & Development applies and collects school construction excise taxes on construction permits issued to properties located within its jurisdiction. Exemptions may be provided for certain types of buildings as listed on the School CET Exemption Application Form.
Affordable Housing Construction Excise Tax
Effective Aug. 1, 2016, the City of Portland collects a tax on residential and commercial building projects with improvements valued at $100,000 or more. The tax is calculated as 1% of the permit valuation. The Portland Housing Bureau proposed the tax to help fund affordable housing programs and Portland City Council approved it in June 2016.
Learn more about the Affordable Housing Construction Excise Tax.
Previous City of Portland and Unincorporated Multnomah County fee schedules
You can also review past Portland and unincorporated Multnomah County fee schedules if you need to apply a previous fiscal year's fees.
Valuation methods
Read more about valuation methods.