Data through September 2026 · updated 18 Oct 2026
The usual permit in Portland takes 44 days from issue to the city's final inspection; the middle half take 15 to 125 days. That is from 34,874 permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025 that reached a final. Plumbing permits are quickest at 26 days; new home permits take longest at 252 days. This is the time to finish the work and close the permit, not the wait for approval.
“How long does a permit take?” can mean two waits. This page measures the second one.
Getting the permit (not measured): application → issue, the wait for the city to approve the plans. Ask the city for its current review times.
Finishing the work (measured here): issue → final. From the day the city issued the permit to the day it recorded the final inspection. We count only permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025, at least 12 months before the file ends, so slow jobs have had time to finish; a permit still open is not in the days.
Permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025. Usual days is the middle permit among those with a final date: half finished sooner, half later. Middle half is the range the middle 50% fell in. Kinds of work with fewer than 100 permits in that period are left out.
| Kind of work | Permits | Finished | Expired | Usual days to final | Middle half (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical | 11,401 | 98.2% | 0.7% | 36 | 12–98 |
| HVAC | 8,090 | 97.7% | 0.9% | 29 | 14–79 |
| Plumbing | 6,938 | 97.7% | 0.7% | 26 | 9–96 |
| Remodels & repairs | 2,120 | 89.3% | 5.0% | 110 | 46–206 |
| Solar | 1,852 | 96.9% | 2.5% | 48 | 27–87 |
| New homes | 1,106 | 93.2% | 1.7% | 252 | 194–324 |
| Additions | 392 | 78.6% | 4.3% | 195 | 113–300 |
| Demolition | 380 | 91.3% | 4.7% | 80 | 47–155 |
| Garages, sheds & shade structures | 176 | 79.0% | 7.4% | 132 | 62–229 |
| ADUs & casitas | 140 | 92.9% | 1.4% | 213 | 104–300 |
| Other | 5,087 | 71.7% | 2.3% | 100 | 44–209 |
Each kind of work on its own, issue to the city's final.
The usual electrical permit in Portland takes 36 days from issue to final; the middle half take 12 to 98 days (11,189 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 98% of the 11,401 permits issued then have finished and under 1% expired. Portland electrical permits →
The usual HVAC permit in Portland takes 29 days from issue to final; the middle half take 14 to 79 days (7,898 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 98% of the 8,090 permits issued then have finished and under 1% expired. Portland HVAC permits →
The usual plumbing permit in Portland takes 26 days from issue to final; the middle half take 9 to 96 days (6,442 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 98% of the 6,938 permits issued then have finished and under 1% expired. Portland plumbing permits →
The usual remodel and repair permit in Portland takes 110 days from issue to final; the middle half take 46 to 206 days (1,889 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 89% of the 2,120 permits issued then have finished and 5% expired. Portland remodel and repair permits →
The usual solar permit in Portland takes 48 days from issue to final; the middle half take 27 to 87 days (1,794 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 97% of the 1,852 permits issued then have finished and 2% expired. Portland solar permits →
The usual new home permit in Portland takes 252 days from issue to final; the middle half take 194 to 324 days (1,023 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 93% of the 1,106 permits issued then have finished and 2% expired. Portland new home permits →
The usual home addition permit in Portland takes 195 days from issue to final; the middle half take 113 to 300 days (306 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 79% of the 392 permits issued then have finished and 4% expired. Portland home addition permits →
The usual demolition permit in Portland takes 80 days from issue to final; the middle half take 47 to 155 days (346 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 91% of the 380 permits issued then have finished and 5% expired. Portland demolition permits →
The usual garage, shed and shade structure permit in Portland takes 132 days from issue to final; the middle half take 62 to 229 days (139 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 79% of the 176 permits issued then have finished and 7% expired. Portland garage, shed and shade structure permits →
The usual ADU and casita permit in Portland takes 213 days from issue to final; the middle half take 104 to 300 days (130 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 93% of the 140 permits issued then have finished and 1% expired. Portland ADU and casita permits →
The usual roofing permit in Portland takes 189 days from issue to final; the middle half take 120 to 261 days (63 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025).
From our cross-city data studies: the same measure, read the same way, for every city we cover.
How long permits take for other places in Portland. Each permit office keeps its own file, so the numbers are not added together.
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.
Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. Sources and definitions →
Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Please credit Contractor Records and link to this page. Suggested citation:
Contractor Records, "How long do permits take in Portland, OR?", https://contractorrecords.com/portland/how-long-does-a-permit-take, data through September 2026, from Portland Permitting & Development building-permit records.Link to a table: By kind of work · Each kind of permit.
Download the tables (CSV): Days to final by kind of work.