Frequently asked questions by property owners about the new ePermitting Basic Services system include:
The ePermitting program is an online service that allows licensed contractors throughout the State of Oregon to purchase certain mechanical, electrical and plumbing permits on the Web. The goal is to provide access to permits 24/7 and to save contractors time and money which will ultimately benefit the homeowner. If your contractor is working on-site and discovers he needs to pull an additional permit this system gives him the ability to contact his office to purchase the permit online so the work can continue. The contractor receives an Authorization to Begin Work which will be followed up by an actual permit from the local permit office.
Can homeowners purchase permits on-line?
Although there are many helpful features for the homeowner on this Web site, buying permits is not one of them. Only licensed contractors are capable of buying permits from this site.
As a homeowner, what can I do on this Web site?
Has the contractor gotten the permits for my project?
You can look up permits that have been purchased on the ePermitting Web site. All you need is the contractor’s name & license number, job site address, and city or county that has jurisdiction over the address, and you will be connected to a list of permit applications for that particular address. Keep in mind that not all Oregon cities or counties currently participate in this program. For a list of participating jurisdictions please click here.
Use the Local Building Department Directory to get your questions answered
A homeowner can also access the Local Building Department Directory from this site to determine which city or county is responsible for a particular address. You just enter either the city, zip code, county, or exact address and the directory provides you with who to contact for the type of permit(s) you need. In some instances, more than one city or county may provide permitting services for a specific address. In those cases, you will see information for all possible permitting locations. There are telephone numbers, mailing addresses, who to contact depending on what you need, Web site addresses, and much more. Many of the participating cities and counties have permit forms available through the directory and you can fill them out and mail or fax them to their office.
Find out if a contractor is licensed
You may also want to check to make sure your potential contractor is licensed. This is important because it offers you protection for the work that is done. The Construction Contractors Board (CCB) and the licensing section of the Building Codes Division (BCD) have links on this Web site where homeowners can lookup contractor’s licenses.
Are any new features planned for the future?
Contractors, property owners and other consumers across Oregon want government to provide regulatory services online. When these government services are easily accessed, customer satisfaction and compliance with regulations increases. The Oregon Building Codes Division was mandated by the Legislature to create an electronic permitting system to address this need. Paid for by builders through an assessment on building permit fees, this new statewide electronic permitting system is an effort to bring Oregonians a system that allows contractors to apply, pay for, and receive non plan-review building permits online 24/7. In the near future ePermitting will also provide an infrastructure that supports online construction plan review, permits for approved plans, inspection scheduling, and project tracking activities at the city or county level.
At this time you are seeing one of the first stages of this project. The ePermitting basic services gives contractors the ability to purchase simple (over-the-counter, non-plan review) permits online. It also keeps a record of all permits that are sold through the system. The next stage is putting one city or county at a time onto the larger, much more powerful full service system. Local governments across the State will be given an option to sign up for the new system. This benefits not only the cities and counties, but also the consumer. The local building department will be provided with a new permit tracking system with everything needed to run their office at no additional charge. Considering the current budget shortfalls, local governments are lining up to participate.
The benefits to consumers (both contractors and property owners) are many. The development plan for the ePermitting full service system includes a review of best practices across the State. For the first time, permitting offices will be working together to provide service in a more consistent manner. During the development of ePermitting’s full service system they will be helping to determine what should be the same about inspection scheduling, submittal of plans, and the payment of additional fees throughout Oregon.
The beauty of it is, when completed, this new full service ePermitting will give contractors access to just about everything they need from a building department right online. Can you imagine how much this will speed the process of both acquiring permits and getting inspections? Homeowners will certainly benefit from BCD’s streamlining of the permitting process.