2. PERMIT APPLICATION INFO

If you are doing Electrical or Septic Tank work please contact COLUMBIA COUNTY LAND DEVELOPMENT, at 503-397-1501.  They handle all Electric & Septic permits.

PERMITS

There are several different types of construction that require permits for both Residential & Commercial projects;

1. Structural (new, remodel, additions, decks, retaining walls, signs, Change of Use, Change of Occupancy)
2. Mechanical (heating, cooling, vents, fans, HVAC)
3. Plumbing (water lines, sewer lines, storm lines, fixtures; backflows, sinks, showers, catch basins, etc.)
4. Demolition (removal/tear downs of habitable buildings or non-habitable structures)
5. Manufactured Homes
6. Fire Alarms/Suppression/Sprinklers 
7. Medical Gas
8. As noted above, both Electrical Permits and Septic permits are handled by Columbia County

Additional resources about Oregon permit requirements can be found on the State Building Codes Division website;   https://www.oregon.gov/bcd/lbdd/pages/oregon-permits.aspx

• CONTRACTOR PERMITS;

Contractors can now apply for permits via the Oregon E-PERMITTING program. 

In 2018 the Scappoose Building Dept. implemented the State's e-permitting program for licensed contractors. This e-permitting program allows contractors to apply for MOST building permits with just a few clicks of a mouse! Participation by cities or counties is voluntary, not all cities and counties use it.  Each participating city or county determines which permits are available for sale online.  You can only apply for permits allowed by your license.  If you are having an issue with your license or the e-permit website, call the e-permit HELP DESK; 1-503-373-7396

To apply for permits, click on link;  https://aca-oregon.accela.com/oregon/Default.aspx

For e-permit help, click on link;  https://www.oregon.gov/bcd/epermitting/howto/Pages/index.aspx

Address Issues in ePermitting;  The Oregon e-permitting program uses the address data from the local County Tax Assessor.  To ensure you have the correct address/street spelling, call the County Assessors Office at 503-397-1501 or use thier website to check "situs address";  https://propertyquery.columbiacountyor.gov/columbiaat/MainQueryPage.aspx?QueryMode=&Query=

The e-Permit program is address sensitive, be sure to use same street spelling the County Assessor has for the situs address.  Note the following issues;

~ "Third" Street could be "3rd"

~ "EM Watts" or "E.M. Watts" is actually "E M Watts" (spaces between the "E" & "M" with no dots)

PLEASE NOTE: A "SCAPPOOSE" city mailing address is ONLY indicative of which post office delivers mail to that property.  The 'Scappoose Post Office' delivers mail to properties both inside and outside our City's jurisdiction including properties in the Columbia County and Multnomah County (to the south) jurisdictions.  The ePermit program will route your permit(s) to the correct jurisdiction automatically.

Contact the building dept. if you (or the ePermitting program) is having difficulty finding the correct address.

• HOMEOWNER PERMITS

The homeowner application form can be found at the bottom of this page.  Homeowners are required to complete the Homeowner Acknowledgment which must be submitted with your permit application, form is below.

Plans/Construction Documents for Review

• Residential construction projects require 2-sets of plans;  (see Residential Checklist below)
• Commercial projects require at least 3-sets of plans; (see Commercial Checklist below)

Plans must be bound, no loose pages.  We require hard copies mailed or delivered to the office PLUS electronic uploads into Accela e-permit.   Click link for ePermitting help tips;   https://www.oregon.gov/bcd/epermitting/howto/Pages/index.aspx

Construction plans provide proof that the construction is in compliance with current codes. This include shop drawings, specifications, technical/engineered data, construction details and product specs such as trusses, private elevators, custom staircases, etc.  Your project must be designed to meet all the requirements of the State of Oregon building codes on line, just click onto "LINKS" in blue menu bar to the right.  For new buildings it usually means that a full foundation with footings to the frost depth to the truss details with a complete lateral force resisting system are required. 

STATE OF OREGON BUILDING CODES

State of Oregon Codes can be found on-line.  Click onto "LINK" in the blue menu bar to the right.  

• Wind/Snow Load/Seismic Info
  • Snow;  http://snowload.seao.org/lookup.html
  • Oregon BDC now offers a Design Criteria Hub; https://www.oregon.gov/bcd/codes-stand/Pages/index.aspx
• Lateral loads:
  • The Building Code has two options for showing the building will resist lateral loads (wind and earthquake forces).

Note; Plans and calculations will not be required to show that a structure will resist wind and earthquake loads if it is a "minor" dormer addition.

• Prescriptive Path
  • In the prescriptive path, the Code provides conservative method of construction to ensure the building will resist wind and earthquake loads using braced wall panels, continuous sheathing and tie-down anchors. If your structure is designed to meet prescriptive requirements for lateral design, you will need to include separate wall bracing floor plans. A guide provided by the State of Oregon can be viewed here.
• Engineered Path
  • If your design does not meet the prescriptive path, a licensed engineer, certified in Oregon, will need to prepare engineering calculations that shows that the structure can resist the lateral loads.
• Gravity loads:
  • There are also requirements for resisting gravity loads, and any beam over 10’ long or supporting a point load must also be submitted with beam calculations.
• Commercial Energy Code COMcheck; 
  • See pdfs below.   For more info; https://www.oregon.gov/bcd/codes-stand/Pages/energy-commercial-compliance.aspx

OREGON CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTORS LICENSE (CCB)

ALL CONTRACTORS RECEIVING COMPENSATION ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE A STATE OF OREGON CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTORS BOARD LICENSE (CCB);   https://www.oregon.gov/ccb/Documents/Guide%20to%20Hiring%20a%20Contractor.pdf

CITY BUSINESS LICENSE

In addition, all contractors working within the City limits must also have a City of Scappoose Business License (we are not within the Portland Metro area).    Email your business license questions to our City Recorder at; sreeves@scappoose.gov  or call City Hall 503-543-7146   For applications, click link;   https://www.scappoose.gov/cityhall/page/business-licenses

PLANNING DEPARTMENT

Additional Planning Dept. Land Use Development applications could apply depending on your project scope. To find the property zoning; view Zoning Maps;        https://www.scappoose.gov/planning

SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT CHARGES (SDC) COULD APPLY DEPENDING ON SCOPE OF WORK.  Open form in documents below for amounts for each.  Or visit this link for more info on the SDC;    https://www.scappoose.gov/engineering/page/system-development-charge-sdc-including-school-cet

CONSTRUCTION WORK HOURS FOR CONTRACTORS WORKING WITHIN THE CITY OF SCAPPOOSE;

MONDAY - FRIDAY   7:00 AM - 7:00 PM

SATURDAY                 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

SUNDAY                      NO WORK ALLOWED

Per the Scappoose Municipal Code 9.12.040   This includes construction, excavation, demolition, exterior alteration or repair of a building, or exterior use of heavy construction equipment, other than between the hours of seven a.m. to seven p.m. Monday through Friday and nine a.m. to four p.m. on Saturdays, except upon special permit granted by the City Manager. Work, as described in the preceding sentence, is prohibited on Sundays, New Years Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas;

Questions; Call the Community Development Center 503-543-7184 or email the Building Dept. scappoosebuildingdept@scappoose.gov