Salem, OR Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)

SRC 56.009 gives the Building Official inspection authority whenever it is necessary to enforce the Building Code, or whenever the Building Official has reasonable cause to believe a building or premises violates the code or is otherwise unsafe, dangerous or hazardous. If the property is occupied, the Building Official must first present credentials to the occupant and request entry; if entry is refused, the Building Official may use any other lawful means to obtain it. If the property is unoccupied, the Building Official must first make a reasonable effort to locate the owner or person in control and request entry before using other lawful means, and must document that effort and later inform the owner of the entry (SRC 56.009(a)-(c)).

On the permit side, SRC 56.019 places the burden on the permittee: they must request every required inspection in a timely manner, give the inspector access to the site, and supply any equipment the Building Official needs to complete the inspection. Construction may not proceed past an inspection point until the Building Official authorizes it, and the work must stay accessible and exposed for inspection; if a permittee has to remove or replace material because it was not left exposed for inspection, that cost falls on the permittee, not the City.

Fire-related plan review runs on a parallel track: for any project requiring a certificate of occupancy under the Oregon Structural Specialty Code, the Building Official forwards the plans to the Fire Code Official, who inspects them for compliance with SRC chapter 58 and the Oregon Fire Code, at an added fee equal to 40 percent of the building permit fee (SRC 56.027).