Washington County, Oregon Building Permits for Commercial Projects
A Washington County, Oregon building permit comes from Washington County Building Services only for some addresses. The county has authority in the unincorporated areas, such as Aloha, and issues some permits inside smaller cities, while Hillsboro, Beaverton, Tigard and other cities run their own building departments. All county plan review goes through ProjectDox, and the county's published average for commercial plan review is 20 business days. Here is which office permits what, the county's step-by-step timeline, and what commercial owners run into most.
| Step (county averages) | Business days |
|---|---|
| Set up the permit in ProjectDox | 3 to 5 |
| Prescreen for completeness | 3 to 5 |
| Current Planning site review | 5 to 7 |
| Grading initial review, if needed | 2 to 3 |
| Commercial plan review | 20 |
| Applicant response to review comments | 3 to 5 |
| File check | 3 to 5 |
| Permit issuance | 1 to 2 |
| Each inspection / final review for occupancy | 1 to 2 / 1 |
From Washington County's Building Permit Timeline page. The county says these are averages for all projects, simple and complex.
Building in Washington County? Modern Northwest is a commercial general contractor licensed in Oregon (CCB #198582). Call (360) 326-2747 or see our Hillsboro, Beaverton and Tigard and Tualatin pages.
Which office permits your project
The county's permit jurisdictions chart, an older document still posted on its site, shows how permits split across Washington County:
- Unincorporated areas, including Aloha: Washington County issues the building, mechanical, plumbing and electrical permits.
- Beaverton, Hillsboro, Tigard, Lake Oswego and Portland: each city issues all four.
- Cornelius, Durham, Forest Grove, Sherwood and Tualatin: the city issues building, mechanical and plumbing permits, but Washington County issues the electrical permits.
- Banks, Gaston and North Plains: Washington County issues the permits, and the city's land development approval is required before you apply for the building permit.
Sewer connections in many areas go through Clean Water Services. Because jurisdictions change over time, confirm any address with the county's survey department at 503-846-8723 before you design. For the cities with their own departments, see our Hillsboro page and Beaverton page for how they work.
How a county commercial permit moves
- Talk to the county early. It encourages involving its staff before the permit is submitted, and recommends checking with grading staff about whether a grading permit is needed.
- Pick the right path. Simple work can be a self-service, over-the-counter permit. Everything else is a permit that requires plan review.
- Apply, then upload to ProjectDox. After applying you get an email with instructions to upload plans; the county takes all plan review submittals electronically.
- Prescreen, site review, plan review. The county checks the package for completeness, Current Planning reviews the site, and the plans examiner reviews the building.
- Answer comments. The county is blunt about it: applications rarely meet every requirement in the first round, and most drawings need changes or more detail.
- File check and issuance. The county checks for outside agency approvals, fees and review sign-offs, then issues the permit.
- Inspect and occupy. Inspections are scheduled online, by phone (IVR) or by text, and the county uses a commercial final inspection checklist before granting occupancy.
What commercial owners run into
- Moving a wall needs a permit. The county's FAQ says walls can change the exit path or weaken a fire-rated wall or corridor; see fire walls, barriers and partitions.
- Rooftop units over 400 pounds need a structural check; smaller replacements are often over the counter.
- Free-standing signs over 6 feet need engineering.
- Staff will not design it for you. State law bars county reviewers from giving design help; they cite the code section that is not met.
- Field changes after the permit go through the county's written request for information process, covered in our RFI guide, or a permit revision.
- Special inspections and fire access each have their own county form; see construction documents for what the permit set must show.
A Washington County example
Hillsboro is a good example of why the address matters. We built the 5,618 square foot Orenco Family Medicine clinic and work at Elevate Towers on Cornelius Pass Road, both inside Hillsboro city limits, where the City of Hillsboro, not the county, issues the permits. A similar building in unincorporated Aloha would follow the county process above.
Frequently asked questions
Does Washington County issue building permits in Hillsboro, Beaverton or Tigard?
No. Those cities issue their own building, mechanical, plumbing and electrical permits. Washington County Building Services covers unincorporated areas, plus some permits inside smaller cities, so check the address first.
How long does a commercial permit take in Washington County?
The county publishes averages: about 20 business days for commercial plan review, with several shorter steps around it, from setup and prescreen to file check and issuance. Most applications need at least one round of changes, which adds response and re-review time.
Do I need a permit to move a wall in a commercial building?
Yes. The county's FAQ says moving walls can change the path of egress or reduce the integrity of a fire-rated wall or corridor, so permits are required.
Can I replace a rooftop unit without plan review?
Smaller units are often permitted over the counter with the right documents. If the unit weighs over 400 pounds, the county checks that the structure can carry it.
Will the county help design my project?
No. Under state law, county staff are not allowed to provide design assistance. They identify what does not meet code and cite the code section.
The bottom line
In Washington County, the first question is which office covers the address: the county for unincorporated areas and some permits in smaller cities, or a city building department. County commercial permits run through ProjectDox, with published averages of about 20 business days for plan review plus setup, prescreen, response and file check, and most applications need at least one round of corrections.
Modern Northwest has built commercial projects across Washington County and the Portland area since 2005. Tell us about your project.
Building in Washington County?
Tell us the address and what you want to build. We will talk through which office permits it, the timeline and the budget.
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