Salem
City of Salem Community Planning and Development Department, Permit Application Center
In short
City of Salem Community Planning and Development Department, Permit Application Center issues 7 permits we publish for Salem, last verified 2026-09-09. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contractor Licensing — Oregon CCB (Salem)only if it applies to you | City of Salem Community Planning and Development Department, Permit Application Center | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-09 |
| Mobile Food Unit Business License | City of Salem Community Planning and Development Department, Permit Application Center | $40.00 non-refundable application fee, plus $60.00 per unit license fee annually, plus a $12.50 processing fee and a $5.00 automation surcharge — roughly $117.50 for an initial license. A separate license is required for each food unit. Renewals require the same annual fee, processing fee and surcharge. | annual — valid for one year from the date of issue; renewal must be completed within 30 days of expiration or a new license is required | 2026-09-09 |
| Certificate of Occupancy / Temporary Certificate of Occupancyonly if it applies to you | City of Salem Community Planning and Development Department, Permit Application Center | $150 Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO) only — per building, per phase, for a 30-day period | one-time per issuance; a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy is valid for 30 days and can be extended in writing before it expires | 2026-09-09 |
| Land Use Verification Letteronly if it applies to you | City of Salem Community Planning and Development Department, Permit Application Center | $379 flat — 'Land Use Verification, All Others' (FY2027 adopted rate); a government-agency requester other than the Department of Education pays $380, and a Department of Education requester pays $222 | one-time, per request | 2026-09-09 |
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Salem Community Planning and Development Department, Permit Application Center | Calculated from construction valuation in stacked tiers (FY2027 adopted rates): $0-$2,000 valuation is a flat $67.25 minimum; $2,000.01-$25,000 is $67.25 for the first $2,000 plus $8.00 per additional $1,000 or fraction; $25,000.01-$50,000 is $251.25 plus $6.25 per additional $1,000; $50,000.01-$100,000 is $407.50 plus $4.75 per additional $1,000; over $100,000 is $645.00 plus $3.95 per additional $1,000. A 12% State of Oregon surcharge is added to all building permit types. Building Plan Review is billed separately at 65% of the building permit fee. Electrical, mechanical and plumbing trade permits are billed separately under their own tables in the same fee schedule. | one-time, per project | 2026-09-09 |
| Sign Permit | City of Salem Community Planning and Development Department, Permit Application Center | FY2027 adopted rates. New lower tier for small non-illuminated signs: 0-24 sq ft $175, 24.01-32 sq ft $262. General/illuminated permanent sign: 0-32 sq ft $480 (plus $5.00/sq ft for each new electronic sign), 32.01 to under 50 sq ft $747, 50 to under 100 sq ft $1,336, 100 to under 200 sq ft $1,856, 200 to under 300 sq ft $2,191, 300 sq ft and greater $3,089. Sign Inspection Fee $282 each. Right-of-Way Sidewalk Sign $145 (no inspection requirement). Temporary signs (valid 1 month each): Banner $143, Balloon $143, Pennant $50, or a Temporary Sign Bundle (one banner + one pennant + one balloon) for $225. | one-time per permanent sign permit; temporary sign permits (banner/balloon/pennant/bundle) are valid for one month | 2026-09-09 |
| General Business License — City of Salem Positiononly if it applies to you | City of Salem Community Planning and Development Department, Permit Application Center | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-09 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
Contractor Licensing — Oregon CCB (Salem)
'Contractor' and 'general contractor' do not appear on the City's list of the businesses that need a Salem business license (see the general business license record above), and the City's own ePermitting guidance for contractors describes only the State of Oregon's process — 'only licensed contractors can register to apply for permits' through the state's ePermitting site, with the state Construction Contractors Board (CCB) credential as the qualifying license. That guidance names no separate municipal contractor registration, so no fee applies at the city level; a contractor pulling a Salem permit still needs the state CCB license (and, for electrical work, the state Building Codes Division credential) recorded at the state layer.
Mobile Food Unit Business License
This is the City's own zoning/right-of-way license for operating a food truck inside Salem — it is layered on top of, not instead of, Marion County Environmental Health's separate Mobile Food Unit food-safety license recorded below. A unit selling prepackaged food items exclusively (e.g., an ice cream truck) does not need this license. Operation is limited to zones where mobile food units are a permitted use (most commercial and industrial zones, not residential) and to approved off-street parking areas — not the public street or right-of-way.
Certificate of Occupancy / Temporary Certificate of Occupancy
Salem's fee schedule has no standalone charge for a standard (non-temporary) Certificate of Occupancy: per the City's own 'Building Occupancy' page, a CO is issued once the building/mechanical/electrical/plumbing/fire permits' work is inspected and approved and all of that permit's own fees are paid — there is no additional fee layered on top. The $150 recorded here applies only when a business wants to occupy space early, before final completion, via a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (an additional reinspection fee applies on top of this amount). Note: the City's own 'Building Occupancy' help page still states a $155 TCO fee, one dollar higher than the $150 FY2027 rate the adopted Fee Schedule states — the help page has apparently not been updated to the current adopted rate; the Fee Schedule, being the Council-adopted resolution, is treated as authoritative here.
Land Use Verification Letter
Documents the zoning designation of a property and/or whether a proposed use is compatible with its zoning — the City's own page says this is 'commonly needed for business licensing, lending purposes, and state regulatory requirements related to land use compliance' (for example, supporting an OLCC liquor license or a state childcare license application). Not every business needs one; a preliminary zoning check can be obtained informally from the Planning Division (503-588-6213) before paying for a formal letter.
Commercial Building Permit
Issued by the Building and Safety Division of the Community Planning and Development Department, through the Permit Application Center. Valuation is set using the current ICC valuation table multiplied by square footage, or the applicant's stated cost, whichever is greater, with final determination made by the Building Official.
Sign Permit
A structural plan review or expedited review, where applicable, is billed separately (Permanent Sign Expedited Review is $412/hour, one-hour minimum).
General Business License — City of Salem Position
The City's own 'Determine if You Need a Business License' page states that 'only the following businesses need a business license in Salem' and lists a short, explicit set of business types licensed under Salem Revised Code Chapter 30 and related sections (marijuana businesses, multifamily housing, short-term rentals, vehicles-for-hire, street vendors, mobile food units, tree trimmers, dealers in used merchandise, fee-based special events, night clubs, auto race tracks and tourist parks). None of a restaurant, coffee shop, generic retail store, childcare center, fitness studio, auto repair shop, veterinary clinic or salon appears on that list, so a business in these industries owes no city business license fee. The City's list names no salon, barbershop or auto-repair license, per-chair fee or per-bay fee, so no fee applies to either trade at the city level.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Salem
- Phone
- (503) 588-6256
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Apply for a Permanent Sign PermitCity of Salem · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Building OccupancyCity of Salem · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Business License FeesCity of Salem · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-09
- City of Salem Fee Schedule, Fiscal Year 2027 (effective July 1, 2026)City of Salem · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Determine if You Need a Business LicenseCity of Salem · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-09
- ePermitting Information for Licensed ContractorsCity of Salem · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Get a Land Use Verification LetterCity of Salem · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Mobile Food Unit Business LicenseCity of Salem · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-09
Other offices serving Salem
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
Industry permit lists that include this agency
Oregon jurisdictions
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.