How to Submit a Permit Request Online

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Introduction

The City of Portland and Bureau of Development Services (BDS) are pleased to accept permit

requests and applications through the Development Hub (DevHub) self-serve website. These

instructions explain how to request a building permit that requires plan review through DevHub.

If you run into an issue and need assistance from City staff, please call the DevHub Help Line at

(503) 823-1304.

Prepare Your Submittal Documents

Before starting your permit request in DevHub, you may find it helpful to save any application

materials to your computer for easy access during upload.

Your permit request must meet all minimum submittal requirements before it will be accepted for

processing. Please review the listed minimum submittal requirements at

www.portland.gov/bds/development-permit-process/step-3-what-you-need to ensure you have

all required documents for the type of permit you wish to request.

Once you have everything you need, go to devhub.portlandoregon.gov to get started.

Log into DevHub

Open an internet browser and navigate to devhub.portlandoregon.gov. You are required to login

to DevHub to start a new permit request.

From the DevHub homepage, select Login/Register. The Sign-In page opens. Enter your User

Name and Password, then select the Sign-In button. Once you are signed in, continue to Step

1: Create Your Request and Select Permit Type.

Need to change your password? Find instructions at www.portland.gov/bds/change-password.

Learn how to apply and pay for simple Trade and Urban Forestry permits not requiring

plan review at: www.portland.gov/bds/permit-review-process/how-use-online-permitting-tools.

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You must create an account before submitting a permit request. From the DevHub home page,

select the Login/Register option.

The Sign-In page opens. Click Create a New Account.

On the next screen, indicate if you are a City of Portland Employee by selecting Yes or No.

Select the Submit button to continue.

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The New Account Form page opens. To create a portlandoregon.gov account, you must

provide a First Name, Last Name, Primary Phone Number, Email, Address, Zip Code, User

Name, and Password. Select the Continue button when completed.

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The Portland Online Information page opens. Make sure your First Name, Last Name,

Primary Phone Number, Email, and Zip Code are entered correctly on the screen.

In the Portal Information section, enter as much additional information as possible.

Select the category that best fits your role on the permit request: Contractor or A homeowner

doing work.

If you are a contractor, please also provide your Organization Name and up-to-date

Construction Contractor Board (CCB) License #, Building Codes Division (BCD) License

#, and BCD Supervising # (if relevant).

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IMPORTANT: An inactive license number will cause limitations on your account and delays in

permit request processing.

Once you have provided all relevant information, click the Submit button. A message confirms

that your account has been created. Select the Login button to return to the DevHub Home

page. On the next page, select the Login/Register button to login. Once you are signed in,

continue below to Step 1: Create Your Request and Select Permit Type.

Step 1: Start a New Permit Request and Select the

Permit Type

In Step 1, you will start the online permit request and select your Permit Type. To create a

permit request, select the Apply for a New Permit button.

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Click the name of one of the listed permits to select it as the type of permit. You may need to

scroll down the page to see the entire list of permit types you can request online.

The Application screen opens. Review the information provided then select the Continue

button to continue your online permit request.

IMPORTANT: The DevHub system times out after a few minutes of inactivity. Any unsaved

progress cannot be retrieved. If you need additional time to review minimum submittal

requirements or gather additional application materials, select the Cancel Application button.

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The Detail screen opens. Review the listed statements and select the checkbox to indicate “I

Agree”. Select the Continue button to proceed.

IMPORTANT: Submitting a permit request in DevHub does not mean that it has been accepted

for official review. Make sure your permit request meets all City requirements before submitting.

Step 2: Select The Property

In Step 2, you will search for and select the property where the permitted work will take place.

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Option 1: Search by Address

To start, enter your House Number and Direction, then click the Search button.

If you need to narrow your search, add the Street Name with the wildcard symbol “%”

(Example: Albina%).

If you still cannot find the property, verify the address is within the City of Portland’s jurisdiction

on Portland Maps (www.portlandmaps.com).

Option 2: Search by Property ID Number

Enter your Property ID Number (Example: R232323) in the Property ID Number field and click

the Search button.

Need help finding your Property ID Number?

1. Go to http://www.portlandmaps.com.

2. Type the property address in the search bar (located in the upper-right corner of the

page) then press Enter.

3. Select the property from the search results.

4. Scroll down to the Assessor section and select Assessor Detail.

5. On the next screen, the Property ID will be listed, starting with the letter “R”.

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Use the Property ID number in the DevHub search. Once you find the property in the listed

search results, click the Continue button associated with its street address.

Step 3: Provide Permit Details and Upload

Attachments

In Step 3, you will provide important information about your permit request. Be prepared to

detail the type of work you are planning to complete, who will complete the work, as well as

upload required attachments for City review.

Complete the first section under Permits Info titled Customer Intake Info.

1. Select a Category of Construction from the drop-down menu.

2. Select a Type of Work from the drop-down menu.

3. Enter a clear, thorough Description of Work (such as “adding a bedroom and bathroom

to the first floor of a single-family home”).

4. Choose Request Type from the drop-down menu.

5. Enter the Valuation amount of the work to be done.

6. Enter the Number of Pages in Plan drawings using only numbers (0 – 9).

Note: If you select “Other” from any of the dropdown menus, the system will prompt you

to enter additional details.

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7. Enter additional Job Site Address details (such as unit number).

8. Carefully review your responses for accuracy and completeness. Mistakes can

cause delays.

Next, complete the section titled Permit Required Contacts—Owner/Tenant.

1. Indicate if the Work is for Property Owner or Tenant using the drop-down menu.

2. Select “Yes” or “No” to indicate whether the Owner is Doing Work.

3. Enter the name for the site Owner/Tenant/Other person (such as property manager).

4. Enter the mailing Address for the Owner/Tenant/Other person.

5. Enter the mailing City, State, and Zip Code for the Owner/Tenant/Other person.

6. Enter the Email Address for the Owner/Tenant/Other person.

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Next, complete the section titled Permit Required Contacts—Contractor/Party Doing Work.

1. Select the Party Doing Work for your project from the drop-down menu.

2. If a contractor is doing the work, you are required to list the contractor’s name or the

contractor’s representative along with their active CCB license number. If the owner

is doing the work, you may leave these fields blank.

You will next complete the section titled Permit Required Contacts—Applicant. You must

complete all required fields, even if you previously provided the information.

1. Enter the Applicant Name.

2. (optional) Enter the Applicant Business Name.

3. Enter the Applicant Mailing Address.

4. Enter the Applicant City, State and Zip.

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5. Enter the Applicant Email Address.

6. Enter the Applicant Phone Number.

7. Read the Disclaimer Acknowledgement. For the application to move forward, select

the drop-down then select “I agree”.

8. Select the Update/Continue button to proceed.

Upload Attachments

Make sure you know where your attachments, plan files, and documents are saved on your

computer, and can locate them for upload.

IMPORTANT: All permit requests must include a minimum of two attachments (an application

and plan set). Applications for certain permits may have additional requirements. Visit

www.portland.gov/bds to search for your permit type and determine requirements.

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For each attachment you upload under the Upload New Document section, you must

1. Select an Attachment Type. Options include Application (this must include an official

City application form), Plans (drawings), Calcs (project calculations), and Other.

2. Include a Description in the text field. When selecting Other as an attachment type,

enter a simple yet relevant description into the Description text field. This description

helps City staff easily identify your submission materials.

3. Select the Browse button to locate the file then click the Select button.

4. Select the Add Attachment to upload your file to the City system. Repeat the above

steps for each attachment submitted.

Plans must be uploaded as one set within a single PDF document. At minimum, an

application and plan set are required for submission (project calculations and other documents

should be uploaded separately). If your plan set is too large to upload as a single PDF please

break it up into smaller files.

Once all necessary attachments have been added to your submittal package and you are ready

to continue with your permit request, click Continue at the bottom of the screen.

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Step 4: Confirmation and Next Steps

After completing your uploads, you will see a confirmation screen.

If you need to request another permit, click Apply for Another Permit. Otherwise, click Finish

then select the Submit button to submit your request to the Service Center. You will be unable

to upload more files after clicking Submit.

IMPORTANT: Your permit request will not be submitted to the City until you click Apply for

Another Permit or Finish on this screen.

What Happens After I Click Submit?

1. Permitting Services Review: After submitting your permit request through the DevHub

system, your submission will be reviewed by a Permit Technician to check that the

information you provided meets minimum submittal standards. Your permit request will

be assigned a permit request IVR number during this request review process.

2. Respond to Permitting Services Comments and Requests: You will need to log into

DevHub to review Permitting Services comments and to provide any requested

Learn how to view your permit request status and

the list of permit requests in the order in which they will be processed at

www.portland.gov/bds/permit-review-process/permit-status.

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information. This communication process may be repeated several times until all

required information has been received and submittal requirements have been met.

Instructions for responding to comments and uploading attachments are detailed in this

document under Step 5: Read Comments, Submit, and Delete Attachments.

3. Planning & Zoning and Life Safety Reviews: Once Permitting Services has accepted

your submittal package, it will undergo Planning & Zoning and Life Safety prescreen

review to ensure you have met these minimum submittal standards. You will be notified

by email if there are any Planning & Zoning or Life Safety questions about your submittal

package.

4. Pay Intake Fees: Once your permit request has been deemed complete for intake after

Permitting Services, Planning & Zoning, and Life Safety reviews, you will be emailed

instructions on how to pay your intake fees.

a. At this point, your request will be given a permit IVR number for your building

permit during plan review. This new IVR number will be sent to you in the email

instructing you to pay intake fees (please pay fees on this new IVR number).

b. The permit will not convert to “under review” status until the permit fees have

been paid.

c. Once fees have been paid, your project will be taken in for comprehensive plan

review.

Step 5: Read Comments, Submit, and Delete

Attachments

If your submittal package does not meet minimum submittal standards and/or requires further

clarification, you’ll receive an email notification instructing you to log into DevHub to review

comments left by City staff. It is your responsibility to upload any additional information that has

been requested or your request will remain incomplete.

Review Comments

Upon logging into DevHub, you should see your permit request listed near the bottom on your

DevHub home page in the My Permits area.

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If you have been asked to provide additional information for your permit request, you will see a

status of Pending Customer Response after logging into DevHub.

Select the Detail button associated with the permit you’d like to review.

The Application Detail screen opens. Comments from City staff are visible at the bottom of the

window in the Conditions section. Read comments thoroughly then upload requested files by

clicking Upload Attachments at the bottom of the Application Detail window.

Use the dropdown menu in the Upload New Document section to select an Attachment Type

then enter a Description into the text field. From there, select Browse to locate your file then

select the Add Attachment button to attach the file to your permit request. Repeat as needed.

Delete Attachments

If you are replacing a previously uploaded attachment, you can delete the outdated copy by

clicking Delete in the Permit Request Attachments section. The Delete button is also handy if

you accidentally upload the wrong attachment and need to remove it.

Submit for Review

When you have added all required files and information, click Continue to submit the new

attachments for review.