The Roofing Book

Permitting Authorities / City of Portland - Permitting & Development

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Portland, OR?

Adopted code

City of Portland - Permitting & Development

Portland Permitting & Development, a City of Portland bureau, issues building permits in Portland; its Development Services Center is at 1900 SW Fourth Avenue. The Oregon Residential Specialty Code, the State of Oregon's code for one- and two-family dwellings, applies in Portland as it does in every Oregon city and county. This listing covers the office's contact details and the rules state law sets for every Oregon town; it does not cover Portland's own permit rules.

Jurisdiction
City of Portland, Oregon
Jurisdiction type
city
Address
1900 SW Fourth Avenue (Development Services Center, first floor lobby), Portland, OR 97201
Contact
  • url: https://www.portland.gov/ppd
  • phone: 503-823-7300
Contractor registration required
Required
Adopted code
The 2026 Oregon Residential Specialty Code (ORSC), the State's code for one- and two-family dwellings, adopted by the Building Codes Division in OAR 918-480-0005, which provides that "The Low-Rise Residential Dwelling Code, identified in ORS 455.610, will be known as the Oregon Residential Specialty Code." The 2026 ORSC "is based on the 2024 edition of the International Residential Code for One-and Two-Family Dwellings (IRC), with Oregon specific amendments" and took effect October 1, 2026. Its administrative chapter, Chapter 1, has been mandatory since that date. For its construction chapters (Chapters 2 to 44, including Chapter 9, Roof Assemblies) the rule set a six-month phase-in ending March 31, 2027, during which the 2023 ORSC, based on the 2021 IRC, also remained adopted and building departments had to accept plans designed to either edition; the 2026 edition is mandatory from April 1, 2027. Under the rule, "Code requirements in effect at the time a plan review or permit application is filed controls the construction under the application unless the applicant agrees to be controlled by subsequent changes." The code is the same in every city and county: "The state building code shall be applicable and uniform throughout this state and in all municipalities, and no municipality shall enact or enforce any ordinance, rule or regulation relating to the same matters encompassed by the state building code but which provides different requirements unless authorized by the Director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services" (ORS 455.040(1)). A city may therefore have a different local requirement only with the director's authorization, and this record did not read whether this city holds any such authorization. Where a city does not run a building inspection program, the county administers the code inside the city, and where the county does not, the State does (ORS 455.148(5) and (6)). In Portland, Portland Permitting & Development administers the Oregon Residential Specialty Code: the bureau's own page says it manages building permits, inspections and code enforcement, and its residential permitting page says residents apply for building permits online.
Sales & use tax
None. Oregon has no general sales tax, so neither the materials nor the labour on a reroof carries a state sales tax. The Oregon Department of Revenue says: "Oregon doesn't have a general sales or use/transaction tax."

Local roofing hub

Roofing in Portland, OregonCity hub

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Sources

Roofing questions: Portland, OR

Do roofing contractors need a license or registration in Portland, OR?

Yes.

What building code does Portland, OR use?

The 2026 Oregon Residential Specialty Code (ORSC), the State's code for one- and two-family dwellings, adopted by the Building Codes Division in OAR 918-480-0005, which provides that "The Low-Rise Residential Dwelling Code, identified in ORS 455.610, will be known as the Oregon Residential Specialty Code." The 2026 ORSC "is based on the 2024 edition of the International Residential Code for One-and Two-Family Dwellings (IRC), with Oregon specific amendments" and took effect October 1, 2026. Its administrative chapter, Chapter 1, has been mandatory since that date. For its construction chapters (Chapters 2 to 44, including Chapter 9, Roof Assemblies) the rule set a six-month phase-in ending March 31, 2027, during which the 2023 ORSC, based on the 2021 IRC, also remained adopted and building departments had to accept plans designed to either edition; the 2026 edition is mandatory from April 1, 2027. Under the rule, "Code requirements in effect at the time a plan review or permit application is filed controls the construction under the application unless the applicant agrees to be controlled by subsequent changes." The code is the same in every city and county: "The state building code shall be applicable and uniform throughout this state and in all municipalities, and no municipality shall enact or enforce any ordinance, rule or regulation relating to the same matters encompassed by the state building code but which provides different requirements unless authorized by the Director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services" (ORS 455.040(1)). A city may therefore have a different local requirement only with the director's authorization, and this record did not read whether this city holds any such authorization. Where a city does not run a building inspection program, the county administers the code inside the city, and where the county does not, the State does (ORS 455.148(5) and (6)). In Portland, Portland Permitting & Development administers the Oregon Residential Specialty Code: the bureau's own page says it manages building permits, inspections and code enforcement, and its residential permitting page says residents apply for building permits online.