Permitting & Development proposes fee changes, starting in July

Overall, fee revenue collections are expected to increase by about 8% as a result of the fee change proposal. Fees for some programs are not proposed to increase at all, while other programs may 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 proposed fee increases, if adopted, would enable Permitting & Development to recover its costs in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, without reliance on its reserve funds.

Changes in these fees are 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 are subject to review and approval by the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners.

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

What comes next

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 will be discussed with the Development Review Advisory Committee (DRAC) at its meeting on Thursday, May 21, beginning at 8 a.m. DRAC is a community advisory body representing those with interests in the outcomes of policies, budgets, regulations, and procedures that affect development review processes. DRAC meetings are open to the public.

Learn more about the May 21 DRAC meeting.

The Portland City Council is scheduled to consider the proposed fee increases at a public hearing on Wednesday, June 3, beginning at 9:30 a.m. Public testimony on the proposed fee changes will be accepted at that hearing.

Learn more about the June 3 City Council meeting and providing testimony.

It is anticipated that the city council will vote on Wednesday, June 10, whether to approve the fee increases that apply to properties located within the City of Portland. If the proposed fees are adopted by the city council at that meeting, the fees will take effect on Friday, July 10.

Learn more about the June 10 City Council meeting.

The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners will consider and likely vote on the proposed fee increases for properties in unincorporated areas at a hearing scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 18. Please consult the Multnomah County Board Clerk's website for information on how to provide testimony.

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

Proposed fee schedules for the City of Portland

Proposed fee schedules for Unincorporated Multnomah County