Deschutes County, OR

Common application types

• 1 and 2 Family Dwelling and Structural (DWL / STR)
• Accessory Dwelling Unit (Planning ADU Permit)
• Agricultural or Equine Exempt
• Agriculture Building
• Commercial Structural
• Manufactured Dwelling Placement
• Driveway Access
• Residential and commercial electrical, mechanical and plumbing
• Onsite: Site Evaluation, New Construction and Installation, Repair, Onsite Authorization, Tank Abandonment

New homes and additions

Dwelling and structural permits require a Residential Building Information Form, a site plan, stamped truss and structural or beam calculations where applicable, and a construction plan set that is not marked preliminary or not for construction. Prerequisites include any land use approval, an approved septic system or approval to install one, and a driveway permit if research shows one is needed. Uploads must be PDFs only, and incomplete applications are withdrawn.

ADUs and middle housing

Rural ADUs are allowed only in rural residential exception areas (the RR-10, MUA-10, UAR-10 and SR 2-1/2 zones and the Westside Transect (WTZ) combining zone) on lots of at least 2 acres, or 5 acres in South Deschutes County, and not in unincorporated communities such as Tumalo, Terrebonne or Sunriver or in the EFU, F1, F2 or OS&C zones. One ADU of up to 900 sq ft of usable floor area is allowed within 100 feet of the primary dwelling. A septic site evaluation must be completed before the Planning ADU Permit application, followed by the onsite, driveway and DWL or STR building permits.

Decks, retaining walls and accessory structures

Certain agriculture buildings may be exempt from structural building permits under ORS 455.315 through the Agricultural or Equine Exempt permit. The County pages reviewed do not publish exemption thresholds for sheds, decks or retaining walls.

Commercial tenant improvements and change of use

Commercial Structural permits require a Commercial Building Application, a site plan and an architectural and structural construction plan set, with land use and septic approvals confirmed first. Additional permits may be required depending on scope, and incomplete applications are withdrawn.

Land use review

County land use files include conditional uses, site plan reviews, plan amendments with zone changes, text amendments and modifications, with hearings before the Hearings Officer, the Planning Commission or the Board of County Commissioners. Combining zones such as Landscape Management (LM), Wildlife Area (WA), Surface Mining Impact Area (SMIA) and Airport Safety (AS) can add review requirements. Pre-application meetings can be requested and are suggested for ADUs.

Corrections and review

The County publishes in-queue targets for residential building permits of about 1 week for intake, about 10 days for planning review and 8 to 9 weeks for building review, run concurrently, and about 4 to 6 weeks for onsite review. Times are measured from a complete application; staff email when information is missing and the application is treated as incomplete and withdrawn.

Tips from SASHKOV

• Schedule the septic site evaluation early for rural ADUs; the County notes it typically takes about 4 weeks and winter weather can delay it.
• Combine related documents into single PDFs; photos of documents and ZIP files are not accepted.
• A new primary home and ADU built together require two separate DWL permits.

Where to apply

Permitting authority: Community Development Department. Online submittals: Oregon ePermitting.