Development Services Newsletter | April 2025
Contractors' Summit Coming in May
The City of Corvallis Development Services Division will be hosting a Contractors’ Summit on Friday, May 23 from 7:30 – 9 a.m. Development Services staff will be presenting a variety of building and construction related topics. Staff will also be available after the presentation to answer questions. The event will be held at the Corvallis Community Center located at 2601 NW Tyler Avenue.
You can sign up to receive an email reminder for this event, as well as other permitting and development news, at Email Subscriptions | Corvallis Oregon. Look for "Permit / Development Info" under the news category.
Development Services Fees
Development Services is funded entirely through fees paid by applicants for permitting and inspection services. Development Services annually evaluates the fees we charge to determine if a fee increase, or other fee adjustments need to be proposed. Adjusting fees requires notifying the State BCD and gaining approval from City Council. This year Development Services evaluated our fees and will not be proposing to raise any of our building permit or other inspection fees. We will be proposing some minor refinements to a few of our plumbing fees to help simplify and clarify a few of the plumbing fees that have been confusing for applicants and staff. The intent for modifying these fees is not to increase revenue, rather make is easier for customers and staff to charge the correct fee for the scope of work. The outcome of these proposed fee changes will be variable, with some plumbing work seeing a minor fee increase and other projects resulting in decreases in their fees.
Business Use of Right-of-Way (BROW) Applications Open 4/1/25
It's that time of year again - time to grab a snack or beverage outdoors and soak in the warm(er) weather in downtown Corvallis. The 2025 Business Use of the Right of Way (BROW) program is coming back for another season. Applications are available on April 1. The program begins on May 1 and runs through October 31.
The BROW program allows restaurants to apply for permits to use a portion of the on-street parking adjacent to their business as an outdoor dining area. Up to three parking spaces may be requested per application. Permits must be renewed each year. Read more about the BROW program and start an application online by visiting the City website: Outdoor Dining Programs | Corvallis Oregon.
For more information about the BROW program, contact Economic Development Manager Christopher Jacobs at 541-766-6339 or Christopher.Jacobs@corvallisoregon.gov.
Do I Need a Building Permit?
Oregon law requires you to obtain permits for a range of installations, alterations, and construction performed on your home. Permits ensure that the work meets minimum codes and standards, which protect you and your family from safety risks like fire hazards and structural failures. They also help eliminate costly repairs and save money in the long run.
As better weather approaches, you may be thinking about construction projects you’d like to complete around your home. While not all projects require a permit, it’s important to consider what does. Some of the most common home projects that require a permit are listed below.
- Build or demolish a detached accessory structure that exceeds 200 square feet.
- Add an attached patio cover over 200 square feet.
- Construct a fence over 7 feet in height.
- Build a deck more than 30 inches above grade.
- Finish an existing attic, garage, or basement to create living or conditioned space.
Additional information, including permit exemptions and requirements for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work, can be found in our Do I Need a Permit – Guide. If you still aren’t sure whether your project requires a permit, or to get more information about the permitting process, go to Development Services Permits & Plan Review | Corvallis Oregon. You can also contact Development Services at 541-766-6929 or development.services@corvallisoregon.gov if you have additional questions or want to discuss your potential project in further detail.
Please note: Regardless of whether a building permit is required, the project must meet all adopted construction codes and Corvallis Land Development Code requirements.
Annual SDC Rate Adjustment
On April 1st, the annual adjustments to the City’s System Development Charge rates will go into effect. The adjustments are based on inflation and in part by changes to the Benton County Real Market Value of undeveloped property. This year, SDC’s are increasing by approximately 3.5% on average. This affects charges for all SDC’s the City collects on development and redevelopment projects: Water, Wastewater, Transportation, Stormwater, and Parks.
AgencyCounter
Corvallis has partnered with AgencyCounter (formerly Buildingeye) to provide community members with an interactive mapping tool that is linked with the City’s permit system (www.corvallispermits.com). This service allows users to search for permits and get more information on construction projects happening around the city.
Users can sign up to receive alerts when there is new permit activity in their neighborhood, or within a specific area in the city. In addition, users can click on any identified permit shown on the map and further view permit descriptions and other permit information.
To check out this service, go to https://corvallis.agencycounter.com.
Recent Changes to Residential Development Standards
The City recently wrapped up Phase 3 of the Land Development Code (LDC) Code Audit Project. This has been a multi-year work effort among staff, decision-makers, and the community to ensure that the code is providing only clear and objective standards for the development of housing. The project started all the way back in 2018 with a deep dive on the City’s code looking for standards and provisions which may impede the development, availability, and access to housing that is affordable to all segments of the population in Corvallis.
In addition to a lot of small clarifications and cleanup in these chapters, there are a couple of big takeaways for the development of housing in the City. The first is that now in all zones where housing is allowed it is allowed by right, meaning no land use application or discretionary process is required. There is no longer any restriction on the number of residents that can live in a Group Residential (fraternities, sororities, co-ops, boarding houses, etc.) building or in a Residential Care Facility and no Conditional Development Permit or other land use application is necessary to build either of these housing types.
Another big change was made to the requirements for Private and Common Outdoor space that must be provided with each development. There is no longer any per-unit minimum requirement for single-detached or middle housing units. Additionally, the standards were greatly reduced in the RS-12 and RS-20 zones for multi-dwelling (apartment) construction. The previous standards required a minimum of 48 square feet of Private Outdoor Space per unit plus either 200 or 300 square feet (depending on the number of bedrooms in the unit) of Common Outdoor Space per unit. The standard now is just 48 square feet of Common and/or Private Outdoor Space per unit. This results in a significant reduction in the overall requirement, while also providing much more flexibility. A project can now provide all the open space amenities as Private Outdoor Space, as Common Outdoor space, or with a combination of the two. The standard is also now the same across the RS-12, RS-20, RMU-12, RMU-20, and MUR zones. City staff recommended this change because we saw that it was creating a substantial barrier to housing. On infill lots in higher density zones, the Common Outdoor Space requirements often exceeded the area of the lot itself for projects that otherwise would have met all the zone’s standards. This change should make high-density development on infill lots much more feasible going forward, and overall easier to do city-wide.
For more information on the Code Audit project and what’s coming next, visit Code Audit Project | Corvallis Oregon.
Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy Program
The Corvallis Benton County Economic Development Office will begin administering a Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (CPACE) financing program on April 11, 2025. The CPACE Program allows owners of eligible commercial property to obtain long-term financing from private capital providers for certain qualified improvements. The Benton County CPACE Program is set to become just the sixth of its kind in Oregon and the first in the mid or southern Willamette Valley. CPACE is a real estate finance program that incentivizes clean energy, energy efficiency, water efficiency, and seismic systems. The primary goal of CPACE is to promote resilience and sustainability of the built environment and qualified improvements include projects that:
- Decrease energy consumption or demand through the use of efficiency technologies, products, or activities that reduce or support the reduction of energy consumption or allow for the reduction in demand or reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Support the production of clean, renewable energy, including but not limited to a product, device, or interacting group of products or devices on the customer's side of the meter that generates electricity, provides thermal energy, or regulates temperature.
- Decrease water consumption or demand and address safe drinking water through the use of efficiency technologies, products, or activities that reduce or support the reduction of water consumption, allow for the reduction in demand, or reduce or eliminate lead from water which may be used for drinking or cooking.
- Increase seismic safety through rehabilitation improvements.
By making it more affordable for building owners to make major improvements to their buildings, local building stock value is enhanced, and more jobs are created. Energy, water, and seismic upgrades create a more competitive environment for retaining and attracting new businesses by lowering energy costs and improving the structural soundness of buildings. Upgraded buildings can also generate higher property tax payments for the city/county. Energy upgrades also typically reduce greenhouse gases and other pollutants, which facilitates adherence to city, county, or state climate action plans or goals.
For more information about CPACE, contact Economic Development Manager Christopher Jacobs at 541-766-6339 or Christopher.Jacobs@corvallisoregon.gov.
Mechanical Minor Labels
The Development Services Division participates in the plumbing and electrical Minor Label Program administered by the State Building Codes Division (BCD). Recently, mechanical minor labels were added to this program, and licensed contractors can now participate in the mechanical minor label program.
Minor labels are inexpensive permits for use by licensed contractors in the state of Oregon. Labels are purchased directly from the BCD in lots of 10 and are valid for one year from the date of purchase. Minor labels can be used for certain minor repairs and installations, such as replacing a water heater or installing a new mini-split heat pump in a single-family dwelling. The City is required to randomly inspect 10% of the labels, as directed by the BCD. It is important for contractors participating in the minor label program to ensure local regulations for floodplain, mechanical screening, etc. are being met, as they are still required even for projects permitted through the BCD’s minor label program.
For more information on the types of work that can be completed under the minor label program, or to purchase minor labels, go to https://www.oregon.gov/bcd/minlab/Pages/minor-label-info.aspx.
Community Development Resources
Looking for more information on the development review and/or permitting process? The Community Development Publications page on the city website includes links to many documents, such as the Land Development Code, Comprehensive Plan, and Municipal Code and Ordinances. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
