Permits and licensing · Oregon
Renovation permits and contractor licences in Oregon
Oregon licenses contractors statewide, and the rule is broad: anyone who works for compensation on improvements to real property needs a Construction Contractors Board licence. The trades sit on top of that — electricians and plumbers also need a licence from the Building Codes Division, which writes the Oregon State Building Code. Building permits themselves come from your city or county building department, or from the state's ePermitting system where the local jurisdiction takes part.
Regulators and licensing bodies in Oregon
These official bodies license contractors, oversee safety or issue permits in Oregon.
Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB)
Licenses construction contractors. The Board states that Oregon law requires anyone who works for compensation in any construction activity involving improvements to real property to be licensed with the CCB. It describes its own job as preventing and resolving problems in the construction industry, and it runs a public licence search.
Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD)
Adopts, amends and interprets the specialty codes that make up the Oregon State Building Code, including the residential, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and energy efficiency codes. It also issues electrical, plumbing, boiler, elevator and manufactured dwelling licences for individuals and businesses.
Oregon local building departments
Most cities and counties run a building department that provides plan review, permit and inspection services, and the state directory lists each one's contact details, Building Official and available permit services. The Division says project-specific questions about code interpretation, permitting, zoning and land use must be discussed with the local building department.
Trades that need a licence in Oregon
General contracting and renovation
A CCB licence is not optional for renovation work, and the Board's own line to consumers is blunt: anyone can pretend to be a contractor, so check licences. Licences carry endorsements — Residential General Contractor, Residential Specialty Contractor, Residential Limited Contractor and Residential Developer among them — so ask which endorsement the contractor holds before you sign.
Sources:Oregon Construction Contractors Board – Licensing and endorsements(opens in a new tab)Oregon Construction Contractors Board(opens in a new tab)
Certified trades
The licence requirement reaches much further than new construction. The Board lists roofing, siding, painting, carpentry, concrete, on-site appliance repair, heating and air conditioning, home inspections, tree service, floor covering and land development as construction activity, so a one-day job still needs a licensed contractor.
Sources:Oregon Construction Contractors Board – About the CCB(opens in a new tab)
Electrical work
Electrical work needs two licences, not one: the Division says electrical contractors are required to have a CCB licence and the appropriate Building Codes Division electrical contractor's licence. Ask for both numbers, and check each in its own search before the work begins.
Sources:Oregon Building Codes Division – Getting licensed work(opens in a new tab)Oregon Building Codes Division – Licensing(opens in a new tab)
Plumbing
Plumbing follows the same two-licence rule — a CCB licence plus the Building Codes Division plumbing contractor's licence. If a plumber turns out to be unlicensed, the Division takes complaints about unlicensed work through its enforcement staff.
Sources:Oregon Building Codes Division – Getting licensed work(opens in a new tab)
Consumer protection
Homeowners can apply for a building permit online through Oregon ePermitting, but participation is voluntary: each participating city or county decides which permits are sold online. Check whether your jurisdiction takes part before you plan around it.
Sources:Oregon ePermitting – Online building permit application for homeowners(opens in a new tab)
Building and renovation permits in Oregon
Building permits come from your local building department, which handles plan review, permits and inspections for most of Oregon. The Building Codes Division issues permits statewide for a narrower set of work — elevators, boilers and pressure vessels, manufactured dwellings, prefabricated structures and amusement rides — and it provides building department services directly for Curry, Grant, Morrow and Umatilla counties. Use the state directory to find the office that covers your address before you apply.
Sources:Oregon Building Codes Division – Permit services(opens in a new tab)Oregon Building Codes Division – Local Building Department Directory(opens in a new tab)Oregon Building Codes Division – Codes and standards(opens in a new tab)
Before you hire a contractor in Oregon
Practical checks you can do yourself, using official tools where they exist.
Look up the contractor's CCB licence number in the Board's licence search before you sign anything.
Official lookup: Oregon Construction Contractors Board – Contractor licence search(opens in a new tab)
Ask which CCB endorsement the contractor holds, and check that it covers residential work of your kind.
Official lookup: Oregon Construction Contractors Board – Licensing and endorsements(opens in a new tab)
For electrical or plumbing work, confirm the contractor holds both a CCB licence and the matching Building Codes Division licence.
Official lookup: Oregon Building Codes Division – Getting licensed work(opens in a new tab)
Find your city or county building department in the state directory and ask which permits your project needs.
Official lookup: Oregon Building Codes Division – Local Building Department Directory(opens in a new tab)
Check whether your jurisdiction sells the permit you need through Oregon ePermitting before you plan the timing.
Official lookup: Oregon ePermitting – Online building permit application for homeowners(opens in a new tab)
Hire only a contractor who is licensed and insured, check the licence with your state or county, and get the scope, materials, price and dates in writing before work starts.
Official lookup: FTC – How to avoid a home improvement scam(opens in a new tab)
Sources for renovation permits and licences in Oregon
Every fact on this page comes from these official sources.
- Oregon Construction Contractors Board – About the CCB(opens in a new tab)
- Oregon Construction Contractors Board(opens in a new tab)
- Oregon Construction Contractors Board – Contractor licence search(opens in a new tab)
- Oregon Building Codes Division(opens in a new tab)
- Oregon Building Codes Division – Codes and standards(opens in a new tab)
- Oregon Building Codes Division – Licensing(opens in a new tab)
- Oregon Building Codes Division – Local Building Department Directory(opens in a new tab)
- Oregon Building Codes Division – Permit services(opens in a new tab)
- Oregon Construction Contractors Board – Licensing and endorsements(opens in a new tab)
- Oregon Building Codes Division – Getting licensed work(opens in a new tab)
- Oregon ePermitting – Online building permit application for homeowners(opens in a new tab)
- FTC – How to avoid a home improvement scam(opens in a new tab)
Find licensed pros
Compare local pros for the regulated trades in this guide, then confirm their licence with the regulator before you hire.
Renovation permits in other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Planning a renovation?
Describe your project once and hear from local pros. Ask each one for their licence and permit details before you hire.