Digital permit application gateway
Start with the issuing authority’s own submission lane. A complete application package, accurate valuation, and accessible inspection path are the fastest route through statutory plan review.
Recommended first click
Use the official digital gateway to submit plans, monitor review comments, pay required charges, and request inspections when the permit is issued. If the link is unavailable, use the agency website or phone number on the administrative profile to confirm the current lane.
Typical review lane
County guidance states up to 10 business days for initial pre-screen/intake, followed by approximately 3-7 weeks for plan review depending on project complexity. The agricultural exemption route has no inspections after approval; incorporated-city timelines and responsibilities may differ.
Treat this as a planning signal, not a guaranteed approval date. Completeness, corrections, resubmittals, and agency workload control the actual clock.
Verify the parcel is inside this agency’s service area and note whether a city, state, fire marshal, septic authority, or utility district also has approval authority.
Prepare legible plans, site information, project valuation, ownership authorization, contractor information, and any energy, floodplain, zoning, or utility documentation the issuing office requires.
Keep the permit number, approved plan set, correction comments, fee receipts, and inspection results together. Those records establish the compliance trail for the next trade.
Application documents
Before submission, call 503-742-4240; inspection request line 503-742-4720 if the project involves a change of occupancy, structural alteration, accessory structure, demolition, or work near a regulated environmental feature.
Source trail
Use these direct agency or licensing links to confirm current instructions before you file, pay, or schedule work. External pages control if their information differs from this directory.
Project questions
Clackamas County Department of Transportation and Development, Building Codes Division is the identified county-level authority for this profile. Confirm that the property is in its service area before filing.
Begin with the online permit gateway listed in the application guide. If the portal does not recognize the address or project type, contact 503-742-4240; inspection request line 503-742-4720.
County guidance states up to 10 business days for initial pre-screen/intake, followed by approximately 3-7 weeks for plan review depending on project complexity. The agricultural exemption route has no inspections after approval; incorporated-city timelines and responsibilities may differ.
Schedule inspections through the county inspection-request app, the online Accela inspection system, or by calling 503-742-4720 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Telephone requests must be made before 2:00 PM for the following business day; have the permit number and inspection code ready. Final mechanical, electrical, and plumbing inspections must be approved before the building final.
Clackamas County enforces the Oregon State Building Code in county jurisdiction, including the current 2025 Oregon Structural Specialty Code (2024 IBC/IFC/IEBC), 2023 Oregon Residential Specialty Code (2021 IRC), 2023 Oregon Electrical Specialty Code (2023 NEC), 2023 Oregon Plumbing Specialty Code, 2025 Oregon Mechanical Specialty Code, and 2025 Oregon Energy Efficiency Specialty Code. The county also enforces its Zoning and Development Ordinance, grading/excavation rules, and other listed county codes. Exact local amendments should be confirmed with Building Codes. Clackamas County identifies agricultural/forestry/equine/marijuana building exemptions when the structure meets the published exemption criteria; an approved exemption requires no building inspections. Basic homeowner electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits on the owner's residence or home-based business that do not require plan review are handled outside Development Direct. Smaller erosion-control projects disturbing less than one-half acre generally need no separate erosion permit, but erosion measures are still required. Additions, updates, structural remodeling, new construction, grading, and most trade work generally require permits; planning or land-use approval may still be needed.
What makes an application complete
Before you click submit, make sure the drawings agree with the site plan, project description, valuation, ownership authorization, and contractor information. If the work changes structure, occupancy, drainage, fire protection, energy performance, or utility demand, describe that scope plainly. Ambiguous narratives create correction cycles and delay the field schedule.
Save the confirmation number, payment receipt, uploaded plan set, and every correction comment. Those records are the backbone of a defensible compliance file when multiple trades or agencies share responsibility.
Submission quality check
Site: address, parcel, access, setbacks, and existing conditions are consistent.
Scope: structural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, fire, and energy work is identified.
Closeout: inspection contacts and the final approval path are understood before work begins.