Planning & Building

Building Permits

Oregon law requires permits for a range of work on your home to ensure that the improvements meet minimum building standards to ensure safety. Permits are required for all new construction as well as for specific alterations to existing homes, and commercial properties, including structural, plumbing, mechanical and electrical changes or installation. Most construction projects will require a permit. City staff can tell you if a permit is required. The City of Scio contracts with Linn County for building code review and inspections. Once the building permit has been approved by the city, it is forwarded to Linn County for this process. To schedule an inspection, you will contact Linn County Building at (541)967-3816. Electrical permits are handled directly through Linn County. You can contact them at Linn County Planning & Building (541)967-3816 or at www.co.linn.or.us

Timeline

Please be aware that most Residential and Commercial Building permits, and Manufactured Home Permits must be reviewed the city planning staff and then by Linn County. Because of this, a permit for a new single family house can take about 4 to 5 weeks and a commercial permit may take longer if it requires a Site Development Review which includes a Planning Commission Meeting. City staff will expedite your application to the best of their ability, but it will still take time. So if you have a big project coming up, please plan ahead and submit your permit application early.

Land Use Planning

Land Use Planning applications (Partitions, Lot Line Adjustments, Subdivisions, Variances, and others) have various processes as defined by the Zoning Ordinance and the Land Division Ordinance. Many require review by the City Planner and the Planning Commission and can take several weeks or longer, due to requirements for noticing and the logistics involved in processing a more complicated application. Depending on the type of application, they may require a surveyor and/or a civil engineer and professionally drawn plat maps. The city’s Standards for Public Improvement are an important piece of the development process. These standards outline the requirements for the installation of the public improvements that may be required as part of your development. If you are getting ready to submit a Land Use Planning Application, please contact city staff for more information on the process required by that kind of application.

Pre-Development

If you are considering a major project, a land use application, or something complicated that might require variances, you have the option of requesting a Pre-Development Conference. The Pre-Development Conference will cost $75. That $75 would then be deducted from the deposit charged by the City for Land Use Applications or Site Development Review Applications. This is meant to give applicants with a complex project access to the City Staff to determine feasibility.

Linn County Building Department https://www.co.linn.or.us/planningbuilding Permits Protect http://www.permitsprotect.infor/index.htm Oregon Construction Contractors board http://www.oregon.gov/CCB/Pages/index.aspx