16 published records
Business licences and permits in Portland, Oregon
Portland and Multnomah County jointly administer a net-income business tax through one Revenue Division. Portland Permitting & Development (PP&D, formerly the Bureau of Development Services) handles building, sign, zoning and occupancy permits. Inside city limits, Multnomah County Environmental Health Services — not the Oregon Health Authority — is the food-permitting and child-care-inspection authority, and it runs an unusually developed food-cart and food-cart-pod licensing system layered with PP&D zoning, PBOT right-of-way, and Portland Fire & Rescue propane permits.
What are you opening in Portland?
- RestaurantsFull-service restaurants carry the densest permit load of any small business: food, fire, occupancy, waste, and usually alcohol.See the full permit list
- Coffee shopsCafés are permitted as food service establishments even where no cooking happens, and the plan review step catches most operators by surprise.See the full permit list
- Retail storesRetail is the lightest common permit load, but the sales tax permit and the certificate of occupancy are non-negotiable in every jurisdiction.See the full permit list
- Salons and barbersPersonal care is licensed at state board level as well as locally, so the shop licence and the practitioner licences are separate obligations.See the full permit list
- Food trucksMobile food is the one category with no certificate of occupancy — but it gains a commissary agreement, and the unit itself is inspected rather than the premises.See the full permit list
- Fitness studiosPrepaid memberships trigger state registration and often a surety bond, which catches operators who budgeted only for the fit-out.See the full permit list
- Childcare centresThe heaviest permit load of any small business: state agency licensing, per-person background checks, and a stricter fire standard than ordinary commercial use.See the full permit list
- Contractors and tradesLicensed at state board level rather than locally, and the only common category with no premises permits at all — the bond is usually the long pole.See the full permit list
- Auto repair shopsOrdinary commercial permitting plus an environmental layer: waste oil, solvents and stormwater are each registered separately.See the full permit list
- Veterinary clinicsA state facility permit, controlled substances registration at both state and federal level, and a medical waste manifest — none of which a general business licence covers.See the full permit list
Who issues business permits in Portland?
Permitting in Portland is split across 5 agencies we hold records for, with tax registration handled at state level. No single office issues everything, which is why an opening usually means filing in several places rather than one.
Portland issuing agencies
- Portland Permitting & DevelopmentCommercial building permits · Certificate/change-of-occupancy review · Sign and awning permits · Zoning permits, zoning confirmation letters and land use review · Contractor CCB verification for permit issuance5 permits
- Multnomah County Health Department, Environmental Health ServicesRestaurant/food service establishment licensing · Mobile food unit and food cart pod licensing · Child care facility health, safety and sanitation inspections4 permits
- City of Portland Revenue DivisionPortland Business License Tax registration and filing · Multnomah County Business Income Tax collection (by intergovernmental agreement)3 permits
- Portland Fire & Rescue, Fire Marshal's OfficeFire code permits and plan review · Recurring fire safety inspections of commercial occupancies · Propane use permits for vending/food carts · Fire alarm, sprinkler and fixed extinguishing system permits3 permits
- Portland Bureau of TransportationVending cart and food cart permits in the public right-of-way1 permit
Other Oregon jurisdictions we cover
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.