14 published records
Business licenses and permits in Salem, Oregon
The City's 'Determine if You Need a Business License' page states that 'only the following businesses need a business license in Salem' and lists a short 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, special events, night clubs, auto race tracks and tourist parks); of the ten industries this site tracks, only food-truck (as a 'mobile food unit') falls on that list. Salem straddles the Willamette River: the great majority of the city, including downtown, lies in Marion County, whose Health & Human Services Environmental Health Services division is the food-permitting and child-care-inspection authority; the West Salem neighborhood on the river's west bank lies in Polk County, which runs its own separate but not-fully-published Environmental Health program for the same functions. The City's own Community Planning and Development Department (Permit Application Center) issues building, sign and zoning/land-use permits, while the Salem Fire Department's Community Risk Reduction Division issues fire-code operational-use permits and a distinct annual fire-safety inspection specifically for certified child care centers.
What are you opening in Salem?
- 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 license and the practitioner licenses 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 license covers.See the full permit list
Permits that apply to every type of business in Salem
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Fire Life Safety Plan Review | Salem Fire Department, Community Risk Reduction Division | 40% of the building permit fee, with a $67.25 minimum. | one-time, per project (tied to the building permit) | 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.
What do these permits involve in Salem?
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.
Fire Life Safety Plan Review
The Community Risk Reduction Division of the Salem Fire Department reviews all new commercial and multifamily (triplex and larger) construction plans as part of the City's building permit process, including reviewing specialty safety systems and conducting the final occupancy inspection for fire/life-safety compliance — this fee is billed alongside, not instead of, the Building & Safety Division's own building permit fee.
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.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- City of Salem Fee Schedule, Fiscal Year 2027 (effective July 1, 2026)City of Salem · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Building OccupancyCity of Salem · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Get a Land Use Verification LetterCity of Salem · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Determine if You Need a Business LicenseCity of Salem · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-09
Who issues business permits in Salem?
Permitting in Salem is split across 4 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.
Salem issuing agencies
- City of Salem Community Planning and Development Department, Permit Application CenterCity business licenses under SRC Chapter 30 (mobile food units, vehicles-for-hire, street vendors, etc.) · Commercial building permits and plan review · Certificates of occupancy · Sign permits (SRC Chapter 900) · Zoning/land use verification letters7 permits
- Marion County Health & Human Services, Environmental Health ServicesRestaurant and food service establishment licensing (east-of-river Salem) · Mobile food unit and commissary licensing · Child care facility and group home health/sanitation inspections3 permits
- Salem Fire Department, Community Risk Reduction DivisionFire code operational-use permits (Oregon Fire Code, SRC Chapter 58) · Fire life-safety plan review for new commercial/multifamily construction · Annual licensed-facility fire inspections for certified child care centers3 permits
- Polk County Community Development Department, Environmental Health DivisionRestaurant and food service establishment licensing (West Salem, Polk County side) · Child care facility inspections (West Salem, Polk County side)1 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.