How to Find Building Permits for Remodels on Portland Maps
Why are Building Permits Important
With the numerous television shows telling home owners it's easy to remodel houses and make money we've seen a rise in the number of "Do It Yourself" updates and remodeling. However, most people don't have the skills, experience or training necessary to do the job correctly. This can lead to costly and even dangerous situations for new home buyers.
If the work done on a house was permitted then it was checked by a licensed professional to make sure it complies with safety and building code standards.
If the work done on a house was permitted then it was checked by a licensed professional to make sure it complies with safety and building code standards.
Step 1: Check for permits (Portland)
If you see new bathrooms, bedrooms, converted garages or newer electrical boxes there should also be permits to ensure it was done correctly and safely.
- Go to portlandmaps.com
- Type in the address of the home in question and hit enter. (use the address in the picture below to follow along)
- On the right hand side of the screen (see picture below) you'll see information about the house to include the square footage (1,060 sq ft) according to city records.
- If the square footage on the listing is greater than the square footage given by the city records there may have been conversions done (i.e. garage, basement and attic converted to living space). Conversions are ok if they have been permitted.
- Keep in mind: property taxes are based on the value of the property which is also based on living space square footage. If the property has more square footage than the city knows about, property taxes may need to be adjusted because they are too low.
- On the right side of Portlandmaps.com scroll down and click on "Permits & Zoning" tab to reveal the picture below.
- Click on the permits button in the above photo to access a list of building permits for this property.You will get the screen below.
- This property has 4 building permits associated with it.
- Electrical
- Plumbing
- Mechanical (heater)
- Sewer
- Click on the first link under "Application Number" for the electrical permit. You will get the picture below.
- Note: to see all of the information under the "Activity Heading" you have to scroll right as is seen in the right picture vs. the left picture below.
For the above electrical permit we can see:
- Work Case Description Panel Replacement and 4 ckts = The electrical panel was replaced and 4 new circuits were added.
- Status Final Inspection Approved = An electrical inspector went out to the property and made sure the work was done to current building and safety standards.
- "Activity" Section
- (Activity column) = Check CCB and BCD ELEC Licenses- Sims, Damon (right side picture under staff contact column) made sure (Activity status = Completed) the electrician and the company were licensed (Check CCB and BCD ELEC Licenses) to preform the electrical work that needed to be done on (completed column) 03/08/2007.
- 199 Final Electrical - There was an electrical inspection preformed and approved by Richard Mayea (Staff Contact column) on 4/20/2007 (Completed column) and the work was approved (Activity Status Column = Approved). If you have any questions about the new electrical box you can call Richard at 503-823-7546.