Salem, OR Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

SRC 56.007 requires anyone doing work regulated by the Building Code (structural, residential, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, energy or manufactured-home specialty codes under SRC 56.001) to obtain a building permit before starting. The Building Official, and other City departments as needed, reviews the application, plans, specifications and computations for compliance before issuing the permit, and endorses the approved plans in writing or by stamp; all work must match those approved plans unless the Building Official authorizes a change. One approved set stays on the job site at all times while work is underway.

An application is deemed abandoned 180 days after filing unless the applicant keeps pursuing it in good faith; the Building Official may grant one extension of up to 180 additional days if the applicant requests it in writing with good cause before the abandonment date (SRC 56.007(c)). For large projects, the Building Official may issue phased permits covering part of a building before the full plan set is approved, though approval of a later phase is never guaranteed (SRC 56.007(f)).

Once issued, a building permit expires 24 months from the issue date unless the work has passed final inspection; the Building Official can approve a longer period for large or complex projects, but any lapsed permit requires a new one for the unfinished work (SRC 56.013). A permit holder may request a single 180-day extension before expiration (SRC 56.014(a)), and an expired permit can be reinstated within one year if the code hasn't changed and the plans stay the same (SRC 56.014(b)). Starting work without a permit triggers a mandatory investigation fee on top of the permit fee, whether or not a permit is later issued (SRC 56.015).