Developers and Contractors Permitting Guide

Planning Division staff provide guidance and makes land use decisions for both commercial and residential development projects. They review site plans, land divisions, changes of use, historic preservation, signs, and more. They implement the Bend Development Code, the Sign Code, and the Historic Preservation Code to ensure our city grows in a way that benefits everyone.

For more information, visit the Planning Division.

Email: planning@bendoregon.gov
Phone: 541-388-5580 ext. 3

The Private Development Engineering Division helps with reviews, permits, and inspections for privately funded projects in the public right-of-way and public easements. They ensure all work meets City of Bend Standards and Specifications and other local, state, and federal regulations. They review and approve permits for street improvements, public utility installations or abandonments, grading, erosion control, stormwater management, and traffic control. Engineering inspectors make sure all improvements are constructed according to the approved plans.

For more information, visit the Private Development Engineering Division.

Email: engineering@bendoregon.gov
Phone: (541) 388-5580 ext 4

Building Safety Division staff manage plan reviews, permits and inspections. They enforce building safety codes to ensure a safe-built environment, promote fire prevention, improve conservation, and support emergency response.

For more information, visit the Building Safety Division.

Email: building@bendoregon.gov
Phone: (541) 388-5580 ext 2

The Development Services Division is responsible for our System Development Charges, Agreements, and Residential Land Divisions Early Actions programs that support development in the City of Bend. They help connect the City’s development community with the city services they need to conduct work according to City code, standards and specifications and statutes.

For more information, visit the Development Services Division.

Email: development@bendoregon.gov
Phone: (541) 388-5580

Permit Lookup Tool: This tool can be used to explore all historical permits dating back to 1993 that the City has on record for any tax lot within the City. For records prior to 1993, please contact our staff at permitcenter@bendoregon.gov or 541-388-5580.

Bend’s Open Data: Our Open Data site offers downloadable data, interactive maps and dashboards on a variety of topics such as land use, transportation, and utilities.

Fees assessed for your project include a combination of permitting fees and system development charges (SDCs). The permitting fees associated with your project depend on many factors. Refer to the latest fee schedule for an outline of all permitting fees.

We have staff available Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to help answer your questions via email, phone, or in person. Appointments are not necessary, and walk-ins are always welcome.

Contact Us: permitcenter@bendoregon.gov | 541-388-5580
Visit us: City Hall, 710 NW Wall Street

System Development Charge (SDC) Estimate

System Development Charges are fees that pay for the infrastructure needed to accommodate growth in our city. They are not only determined using our SDC fee schedule but are also based on any previous use of the site or other circumstances that could lead to higher or lower fees than expected. For this reason, we highly encourage getting an SDC estimate for your project. This estimate will determine if any SDC credits are available on the development site and what SDC charges will be assessed based on the current SDC fee schedule.

Before applying for a SDC estimate, please fill out a SDC Supplemental Application. This will be submitted along with your SDC Estimate application.

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1. Under Choose the application type, select SDC Estimate.
2. Complete the remaining steps, upload your SDC Supplemental Application and any other pertinent documents, review information and submit application.

For more information, visit System Development Charges.

While we can’t guarantee permit review times, our Permit Turnaround Time Dashboard demonstrates average permit turnaround times for various permit types and can be used as a tool to help estimate your project schedule. Keep in mind permit turnaround times are subject to a variety of factors.

Submitting complete permits and assuring you have included all required submittal items will help reduce the number of necessary revisions and therefore your overall permit turnaround times!

Bend Development Code is a set of regulations that guide the development and land use within Bend. It mainly applies to private property and covers zoning, land use, building heights, setbacks, and other aspects of urban planning—essentially what can and cannot be built in Bend.

See Bend Development Code.

Bend Standards and Specifications provide guidelines and requirements for methods, procedures, practices and requirements for a project to ensure consistency and reliability. These mainly apply to public infrastructure, the right-of-way and public easements. In short, they outline how your project must be built.

See Bend Standards and Specifications.

Bend Municipal Codes are a collection of laws, ordinances, and regulations enacted by our City Council. They cover a wide range of issues, including public safety, health, zoning, and general welfare.

See Bend Municipal Code.

State Building Codes are laws that set minimum requirements for how structural systems, plumbing, heating, HVAC, and other aspects of residential and commercial building should be designed and constructed.

See Oregon State Building Code.

For more information, contact us at permitcenter@bendoregon.gov or 541-388-5580.