Marion County Now Offers Online Building Permits

The county joins the state’s 24-hour-a-day e-permitting service.

Salem-News.com

(SALEM) - Instead of driving to the county office and waiting in line, contactors can now buy simple permits from Marion County any time of the day or night, seven days a week via the Internet.

The site, hosted by the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services’ Building Codes Division, allows contractors to apply and pay for multiple permits from multiple jurisdictions in one transaction.

Marion County Building Inspection is the 15th building department in the state to offer over-the-counter electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits through www.BuildingPermits.Oregon.gov.

Other building departments that offer the e-permitting service include Medford, Cannon Beach, Corvallis, Lane County, and several in the Portland metro area.

“E-permitting will save our customers time, wear and tear on their vehicles and the environment, and make it possible for them to get permits on weekends and after hours when many repairs and small jobs take place,” said Warren Jackson, Marion County building official. “We are looking forward to more area building departments joining the site to maximize the convenience to our customers.”

The e-permitting program is part of Gov. Kulongoski’s regulatory streamlining initiative.

House Bill 2405, introduced at the request of the governor during this legislative session, will expand the existing program to create the nation’s first comprehensive statewide e-building program, and allow contractors to conduct more building department activities, such as receiving plan approval and scheduling inspections, online, morning, noon, and night, with any city or county in the state.