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Demolition permits in Portland, OR

Data through September 2026 · updated 18 Oct 2026

685 demolition permits were issued in Portland, October 2024 through September 2026: about 342 a year and under 1% of all permits. 305 demolition permits in the last 12 months (Oct 2025–Sep 2026), 20% fewer than the 380 in the 12 months before. The busiest month is March. The usual one took 80 days from issue to the city's final. 97206 has the most, 91.

685permits issued
305last 12 months
Marbusiest month
80days, usual issue to final
91%finished
$7,878usual declared value
Sep 2026records through

Demolition permits by month

Permits issued each month, October 2024 through September 2026.

Oct 2024: 30Oct2024Nov 2024: 40Dec 2024: 40Jan 2025: 26Jan2025Feb 2025: 31Mar 2025: 55Apr 2025: 26May 2025: 45Jun 2025: 12Jul 2025: 16JulAug 2025: 32Sep 2025: 27Oct 2025: 32Nov 2025: 32Dec 2025: 15Jan 2026: 12Jan2026Feb 2026: 24Mar 2026: 22Apr 2026: 19May 2026: 19Jun 2026: 24Jul 2026: 29JulAug 2026: 39Sep 2026: 38
The same numbers as a table
MonthPermits
Oct 202430
Nov 202440
Dec 202440
Jan 202526
Feb 202531
Mar 202555
Apr 202526
May 202545
Jun 202512
Jul 202516
Aug 202532
Sep 202527
Oct 202532
Nov 202532
Dec 202515
Jan 202612
Feb 202624
Mar 202622
Apr 202619
May 202619
Jun 202624
Jul 202629
Aug 202639
Sep 202638

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When demolition permits are filed

By calendar month, 100 = an average month (the thin line). March is the busiest (135), June the quietest (63). A busy month at the permit counter usually means a longer wait for a contractor.

January: 67 (100 = an average month)February: 96 (100 = an average month)March: 135 (100 = an average month)135April: 79 (100 = an average month)May: 112 (100 = an average month)June: 63 (100 = an average month)July: 79 (100 = an average month)August: 124 (100 = an average month)September: 114 (100 = an average month)October: 109 (100 = an average month)November: 126 (100 = an average month)December: 96 (100 = an average month)JFMAMJJASOND
The same numbers as a table
MonthIndex
January67
February96
March135
April79
May112
June63
July79
August124
September114
October109
November126
December96

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How long a demolition permit takes

Permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025, at least 12 months before the file ends. Usual days is the middle permit among the 346 with a final date.

MeasureValue
Permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025380
Finished91.3%
Expired4.7%
Usual days, issue to final80
Middle half, days47–155

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What a demolition permit is declared at

The value written on the permit at application, from 632 permits with one. Not a quote and not the final bill.

MeasureValue
Usual declared value$7,878
Middle half$2,500–$20,000

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ZIP codes with the most demolition permits

Counted at the property's ZIP code. Share is the part of the city's 685 demolition permits.

ZIP codePermitsShare
972069113%
97202548%
97211538%
97218406%
97203386%
97219375%
97217335%
97266335%
97220304%
97213254%

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The city's own permit types

How the city filed these permits. We group its types into kinds of work; this is the split.

Permit typePermitsShare
Residential 1 & 2 Family Permit / Garage/Carport20630%
Residential 1 & 2 Family Permit / Single Family Dwelling20129%
Commercial Building Permit / Business7110%
Residential 1 & 2 Family Permit / Accessory Structure446%
Commercial Building Permit / Apartments/Condos (3 or more units)355%
Commercial Building Permit / Storage325%
Commercial Building Permit / Utility244%
Commercial Building Permit / Factory/Industrial213%
Commercial Building Permit / Educational172%
Commercial Building Permit / Assembly152%

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Nearby permit data

Demolition permits for other places in Portland. Each permit office keeps its own file, so the numbers are not added together.

How these numbers are made

Source: City of Portland, PortlandMaps Public/BDS_Permit FeatureServer layer 22 (All Permits), read 18 Oct 2026. We count permits issued October 2024 through September 2026; denied and withdrawn permits are left out.

Building and trade permits that Portland Permitting & Development (formerly the Bureau of Development Services) issued for property inside the City of Portland. Permits the bureau handles for places outside the city limits, and tree, nuisance, noise, land-use and right-of-way cases in the same file, are not counted. Gresham, Beaverton, Lake Oswego and the rest of the metro area run their own permit offices.

  • The city's file names no contractor, so there are no contractor lists, rankings or firm pages for Portland.
  • Electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits are trade permits filed on their own, so one job (a remodel, say) can show up as a building permit plus several trade permits.
  • Job value is the value declared on building permits only; electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits carry no value, so costs are shown only for kinds of work filed as building permits.
  • A final date is the city's finaled date. A permit that expired or was cancelled is not counted as finished even when the file gives it a closing date.
  • The ZIP code comes from the county tax lot the permit is filed on; permits not tied to a tax lot have no ZIP code.
  • Roofing and solar jobs are picked out of residential building permits by their descriptions; a reroof that needs no structural work needs no permit in Portland, so roofing counts are low.

Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. Sources and definitions →

Cite this page

Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Please credit Contractor Records and link to this page. Suggested citation:

Contractor Records, "Demolition permits in Portland, OR", https://contractorrecords.com/portland/demolition-permits, data through September 2026, from Portland Permitting & Development building-permit records.

Link to a table: By month · Season · Days to final · Declared value · By ZIP code · Permit types.

Download the tables (CSV): Demolition permits by month · Demolition permits by calendar month (index) · Demolition permits: days to final · Demolition permits: declared value · Demolition permits by ZIP code · Demolition permits by permit type.

Common questions

  • How many demolition permits does Portland issue a year?About 342 a year in Portland: 685 permits issued October 2024 through September 2026, 305 of them in the last 12 months.
  • How long does a demolition permit take in Portland?The usual one took 80 days from issue to the city's final inspection, and the middle half took 47 to 155 days (346 permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025 that reached a final). The wait to get the permit issued is not in this file.
  • When do people in Portland file the most demolition permits?March (135 against an average month of 100); June is the quietest (63). If you can choose, a quiet month at the permit counter can mean contractors have more room in their schedules.
  • Which ZIP code has the most demolition permits in Portland?97206, with 91 of the 685 (13%); then 97202 (54).