City of Salem, OR

Common application types

• Residential and commercial building permits

• Commercial Phased and Multifamily Phased permits

• Public Construction Permit for right-of-way work

• Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and fire permits

• Land use: site plan review, pre-application conference, conditional use, planned unit development

New homes and additions

Before applying, check for wetlands, flood hazard, landslide hazard or soil contamination, since state or federal permits may be needed first. Use the residential checklist and the City's submittal and file-naming guidelines, with drawings and supporting documents such as engineering calculations. Upload files within 48 hours of the emailed link; staff check completeness within 48 hours. The plan check fee is based on the value of the work and is due at submittal; review starts once it is paid.

ADUs and middle housing

Salem's middle housing code took effect March 16, 2022, in the RS, RA, RD and RM-I zones. Minimum lot sizes are 4,000 sq ft for a duplex, 5,000 sq ft for a triplex and 7,000 sq ft for a fourplex. Middle housing needs no off-street parking, and parking is capped at 1.75 spaces per unit. One ADU is allowed per lot with a detached single-family house, up to 900 sq ft or 75 percent of the house, whichever is less, and up to 25 ft tall for a detached unit. ADUs need no parking, cannot be rented for less than 30 days, and have their system development charges waived; the City offers free ready-build ADU plans.

Decks, retaining walls and accessory structures

A shed or playhouse under 200 sq ft and under 10 ft tall needs no building permit, but zoning still applies: a house must exist on the lot, the structure sits at least 3 ft from the property line, and rear-yard coverage is capped at 25 percent with a 15 ft height limit. Decks, fences and retaining walls need a permit in some cases; confirm the thresholds with the PAC. A deck needs no building permit when its floor is not more than 30 inches above grade at any point within 3 feet. A fence needs a permit over 7 feet tall, or over 8 feet for chain link.

Commercial tenant improvements and change of use

Standard first-round commercial review takes 20 business days. Expedited review, subject to staff availability, cuts that to 10 business days, with second-round review within five business days. Minor tenant improvements in an existing building can request on-site review, applied for five business days before plans are submitted. Phased permits require site plan review first.

Land use review

Some actions require a pre-application conference, and one can be requested for any action. Request it from the PAC dashboard with plans to scale on 8.5x11 or 11x17 sheets and the fee; staff confirm within three business days, and unpaid requests are cancelled at midnight.

Corrections and review

All review comments arrive together, and the City reviews responses only once every comment has been answered. The cycle repeats until all comments are accepted. The plan check fee can change if corrections expand the scope. Approved plans are downloaded from the portal.

Tips from SASHKOV

• Answer every comment in one complete resubmittal; Salem will not start re-review until all responses are in.

• Screen early for wetlands, flood, landslide and contamination, which can bring in state or federal permits.

• Check the 900 sq ft or 75 percent ADU cap and the 25 ft height limit before design starts.

• Request first inspection within 180 days of issuance; each inspection extends the permit by 180 days.

Where to apply

Permitting authority: Permit Application Center (PAC). Online submittals: PAC Portal.