Permitting & Development fee changes take effect July 10

While Permitting & Development's new fees will take effect on July 10, other fees on development permits charged by the Portland Bureau of Transportation, the Bureau of Environmental Services, Portland Water Bureau and Portland Parks & Recreation will change on July 1. Learn more about how to submit permit applications under fees in effect before July 1.

Overall, fee revenue collections are expected to increase by about 8% as a result of the fee changes. Fees for some programs will not increase at all, while other programs will see larger fee increases in order to cover their costs.

Ninety-four percent of Permitting & Development's revenues are derived from fees for its services. The bureau receives some funding from the City's general fund to support the Neighborhood Inspections Program, the Noise Program and the Liquor Program. It also receives some funding from the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund to support the work of the Tree Permitting Division, which was transferred to the bureau by the city council in October 2025.

In recent years, Permitting & Development also relied on drawing from its reserve funds to maintain service levels sufficient to meet the needs of Portland's development activity. It is projected that these fee increases will enable Permitting & Development to recover its costs in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, without reliance on its reserve funds.

These fees were subject to review and approval by the Portland City Council. Permitting & Development also provides permitting and land use review services for properties located in some unincorporated areas of Multnomah County, and those fees were approved by the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners.

For the complete details of the fee changes, please review the fee schedules listed below.
 

Public discussions of fee changes

The proposed fee changes that apply to properties located within the City of Portland were discussed at the meeting of the city council's Housing and Permitting Committee on May 5.

Watch the discussion at the May 5 Housing and Permitting Committee meeting (begins at 41:51).

The proposed fee changes were discussed with the Development Review Advisory Committee (DRAC) at its meeting on May 21. DRAC is a community advisory body representing those with interests in the outcomes of policies, budgets, regulations, and procedures that affect development review processes.

Learn more about the May 21 DRAC meeting.

The Portland City Council considered the proposed fee increases at a public hearing on June 3.

Watch the discussion at the June 3 City Council meeting (begins at 1:25:30).

On June 11, the city council approved the fee increases that apply to properties located within the City of Portland. The approved fees will take effect on Friday, July 10.

Watch the discussion and vote at the June 11 City Council meeting (begins at 4:14:15).

The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners approved the proposed fee increases for properties in unincorporated areas at a hearing on June 18.

What about System Development Charges?

The fees listed below are different from System Development Charges (SDCs). SDCs are charged by bureaus that provide utilities and other public facilities such as the Portland Bureau of Transportation, the Portland Water Bureau, the Bureau of Environmental Services, and Portland Parks & Recreation.

If you have questions about whether particular SDCs may increase on July 1, please contact those bureaus directly. General contact information is provided below. For more detailed information, please visit the SDC information page.

• Portland Bureau of Transportation: PBOTSDC@portlandoregon.gov
• Portland Water Bureau: waterpermit@portlandoregon.gov
• Bureau of Environmental Services: BESDevelopmentReview@portlandoregon.gov
• Portland Parks & Recreation: parks.sdc@portlandoregon.gov

Adopted fee schedules for the City of Portland

Adopted fee schedules for Unincorporated Multnomah County