Salem City Council has waived System Development Charges (SDCs) on accessory dwelling units, eliminating the largest single up-front fee for ADU construction. ADU applicants still pay Salem building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permit fees under the Oregon Residential Specialty Code (adopted under ORS 455), Marion County or Polk County recording fees if any easements are recorded, and the Oregon statewide Construction Excise Tax on residential construction. The SDC waiver pairs with free city-published Ready-Build plans to make Salem one of the more affordable Oregon jurisdictions for ADU production.
Salem's System Development Charges fund transportation, parks, water, sewer, and stormwater capital improvements and are normally assessed on new dwelling units. The Salem City Council voted to waive SDCs on ADUs, which removes a major cost barrier (typical Oregon ADU SDCs in comparable cities range from roughly $11,000 to $20,000 per unit). The waiver applies to ADUs meeting the standards of SRC 700.007 and is administered by the Salem Public Works Department alongside the city's regular SDC schedule. Remaining ADU project costs in Salem include: (1) building permit fees under the Salem fee schedule, calculated on construction valuation under the Oregon Residential Specialty Code; (2) electrical permit fees under ORS 479 and OAR 918; (3) plumbing permit fees (gas piping is regulated as plumbing in Oregon); (4) mechanical permit fees for HVAC; (5) plan review fees, typically a fixed percentage of the building permit fee; (6) water and sewer connection fees if a separate meter or service is installed (sharing the existing tap with the principal dwelling avoids new connection charges); (7) the Oregon Construction Excise Tax under ORS 320.170-320.195 (administered statewide on permitted construction value); and (8) Marion County or Polk County recording fees on any deed restrictions or easements. The Salem-Keizer School District may apply a school Construction Excise Tax under ORS 320.170. Salem's Ready-Build pre-approved plan set for ADUs under 600 sq ft further reduces design costs.
Failure to pay required permit fees prevents Salem Community Development from issuing a building permit or Certificate of Occupancy. Unpermitted construction to avoid permit fees: stop-work order, after-the-fact permit fees (typically double), mandatory exposure of concealed work for inspection. Misrepresenting ADU size or construction value to reduce fees can void the permit and trigger code-enforcement penalties under SRC Chapter 95.
Salem, OR
Salem designates public parking spaces for electric vehicle charging. Those spaces are reserved exclusively for vehicles that are actively charging. Paying t...
Salem, OR
Salem Revised Code Chapter 102 prohibits vehicles from remaining parked on the same public street block for more than 24 consecutive hours. Overnight parking...
Salem, OR
Salem has no city ordinance setting a specific defensible-space distance (e.g., 30 or 100 feet). Tall grass, brush, and dead vegetation can be abated as a pu...
Salem, OR
Salem adopts the Oregon Fire Code (OFC) in SRC Chapter 58, which incorporates OFC Chapter 61 and NFPA 58 standards governing LP-gas and propane storage, hand...
Salem, OR
Salem declares overgrown weeds and tall grass a public nuisance under SRC Chapter 98. Property owners must maintain vegetation to prevent it from becoming a ...
Salem, OR
Salem encourages home composting and offers curbside yard-debris collection. SRC Chapter 47 governs solid waste and yard debris. No permit is required for ba...
See how Salem's adu impact fees rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.