Building

Building Photo

The Building Department is in place to protect the public and the value of their homes. Your local St. Helens Building Department issues plumbing, mechanical, structural, and fill permits. In addition to providing permits, the Building Services Department of St. Helens provides plan review and inspection services for permits issued to ensure that building codes are met.

St. Helens Building Services Department also performs investigations and enforces code requirements on structures that are a hazard to the public. To find out if you need a building permit, please call 503-397-6272, select option 4, and then option 3 to speak to the Building Department.

ePermitting

The City of St. Helens offers online structural, grade-fill, plumbing and mechanical permit submittals through the State of Oregon ePermitting system. If you are a licensed contractor, please click the below link, create an account and submit your application.

If you are a homeowner, applying for a deferred or phased permit click on forms & applications in the column to the right, scroll down to the Building Services Forms & Applications and select the Building Permit Application and e-mail your application into us.

https://aca-oregon.accela.com/oregon/Default.aspx

If you need help in setting  up your ePermitting account, please contact their help desk at 503-373-7396
 

System Development Fees (SDCs)

System Development Charges (SDCs) are one-time charges assessed on new development (growth) to pay for the costs of expanding public facilities. Growth creates additional infrastructure demands and increases the need for capital improvements. These fees are captured on building permits. Please click the link below to our Engineering page for information and worksheets required with your permit submittal:

https://www.sthelensoregon.gov/engineering/page/system-development-charges

Stop!  Call Before You Dig

Call the Oregon Utility Notification Center: 1 (800) 332-2344 (or 811) prior to digging if you need to locate your lines. http://www.callbeforeyoudig.org/oregon/index.asp Building Safety for Kids

Building safety isn’t just for adults. Click here to explore building safety fun for kids. The activity book features color pages, crossword puzzle, word search, junior code official certificate and more.