Bureau of Development Services fee changes are adopted, effective July 1, 2024

The Bureau of Development Services proposed changes to fees for its various services that were adopted by Portland City Council. Fees are set to cover the costs of providing services. Ninety-seven percent of the bureau's revenues are derived from fees for its services.

Development Services faces increased costs for labor as well as for materials and services during the fiscal year that begins on July 1, 2024. Most fees are proposed to increase by eight percent. Fees for a few programs, such as Field Issuance Remodel and Accessory Short-term Rentals, were adopted to increase by greater than eight percent.

These adopted fee increases are intended to recover current and past inflationary cost increases and help maintain service delivery. Changes in these fees are subject to review and approval by the Portland City Council. Development Services also provides permitting and land use review services for properties located in some unincorporated areas of Multnomah County, and those fees are subject to review and approval by the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners.

For the complete details of the adopted and proposed changes, please review the fee schedules listed below.

What comes next

The Portland City Council considered the proposed fee increases in a public hearing on Wednesday, May 15. The City Council approved the fee increases on May 22.

The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners will likely consider and vote on the proposed fee increases for properties in unincorporated areas at a date to be determined. Please consult the Multnomah County Board Clerk's website for information on how to provide testimony. County fee changes, if adopted, would not be effective until on or after the date on which those fee changes are approved.

With approval of fee increases by the Portland City Council, they apply to all new applications for permits or other services in the City of Portland received on or after July 1, 2024.

What about System Development Charges?

The fees listed below are different from System Development Charges (SDCs). SDCs are charged by bureaus that provide utilities and other public facilities such as the Portland Bureau of Transportation, the Portland Water Bureau, the Bureau of Environmental Services, and Portland Parks & Recreation.

If you have questions about whether particular SDCs may increase on July 1, please contact those bureaus directly. General contact information is provided below. For more detailed information, please visit the SDC information page.

• Portland Bureau of Transportation: [email protected]
• Portland Water Bureau: [email protected]
• Bureau of Environmental Services: [email protected]
• Portland Parks & Recreation: [email protected]

Adopted fee schedules for the City of Portland

Proposed fee schedules for Unincorporated Multnomah County