Beginning January 6, 2025, the “OWNER” licenses (OWNER-PLUMB, OWNER-ELEC, OWNER-STR/MECH), that were configured for homeowners to use to apply online on Citizen Access for building permits, will be retired and no longer available for homeowners to use.  They will be replaced with a new “Homeowner Path” for the online Building application process where the user must certify that they are the homeowner by entering contact information and uploading a Homeowner Acknowledgement Form for every online application.  The new Homeowner Path is available in our Staging environment for you to preview.  This new process should be more user-friendly and streamlined for homeowners!  More important notes:

• All participating OSM jurisdictions are required to allow homeowners to apply online using the new homeowner path.
• Homeowners will only be able to apply online for the following residential permit types.  Commercial property owners will need to apply over the counter since this new online application process only applies to residential homeowners.
  Note: These are only available to homeowners if your jurisdiction already offers them online.
  • Residential – 1 & 2 Family Dwelling
  • Residential – Electrical
  • Residential – Mechanical
  • Residential – Plumbing
  • Residential – Structural
  • Residential – Manufactured Dwelling Placement
  • Residential – Demo

 

• Homeowner applications will always be submitted with a status of App Submitted; they will never auto-issue, even when there is no plan review.
• Fees will be assessed but not invoiced.
• There will be no changes to the online building application process for licensed professionals.
• This does not apply to any other module; it only applies to the Building module.
• Homeowners will not be required to enter a licensed professional on their online account or on the permit application.
• There is a newly revised Homeowner Acknowledgement Form that was created as a joint effort between the Building Codes Division and Construction Contractors Board.  It can be found here: https://www.oregon.gov/BCD/epermitting/Documents/aca/homeowner-acknowledgement.pdf.
  
  

Please prep for this change by:

• Removing any published documentation for the current owner application process that uses the OWNER licenses by January 6, 2025.
• Consider replacing the current CCB Owner Affidavit Form with the new Homeowner Acknowledgement Form.
  
  

Homeowner User Experience:
These are the high level steps a homeowner will take to submit an online Building application.
New training documentation for homeowners can be found here: https://www.oregon.gov/bcd/epermitting/howto/homeowners/Pages/index.aspx

1. Create online registration on Citizen Access without adding a licensed professional.
2. Click Apply > search for their address.
3. The homeowner will only see residential permit types to apply for.

4. Once the permit type is selected, the homeowner will have a new screen where they will certify that they are the homeowner by 1) adding their contact information; and 2) uploading a copy of the Homeowner Acknowledgement Form.

• The jurisdiction now has the opportunity to review the online application and move it through the permitting lifecycle like normal.
• Aside from the above, homeowner applications will display and function the same as any other record or online application.

Changes to Citizen Access Wrapper:
A new main navigation button will be added with information that is specific for homeowners:

At any point in time when withdrawing a record, it is important to consider what to do with any new or outstanding, unpaid fees.  Just because a customer has withdrawn their application or permit does not mean they don’t potentially owe on any fees. They could still owe for completed services such as plan review, inspections, or other departmental fees that should be collected. If the fees assessed are no longer due, then delete them if NEW or VOID them to credit if invoiced and unpaid. If fees are already paid, consider if a refund is due based on the circumstances of the withdrawal. 

Withdrawn is an available status on all Workflow tasks – this result status will close the record and update the Record Status to ‘Withdrawn’. Check that no other Workflow tasks remain open after withdrawing – if any remain active, use Supervisor mode to set them to Active = NO and to remove any user assignment (note, Department must remain selected as a requirement, only the User can be rolled back to -Select-). Don’t forget to SUBMIT to save your changes, CANCEL to leave Supervisor mode.

There are standard Model reports and Filters that can assist in identifying any records that are withdrawn but still have outstanding fees and/or assigned tasks.

Permit process in ePermitting:

1. Applicant applies for a Commercial or Residential Structural permit, they will be required to enter the submitted job value for the project (note, this valuation entry may or may not be considered ultimately depending on the install type – prescriptive or non-prescriptive).
   
   
2. Category of Construction (CoC) would be the structure type the system is being installed to. The Type of Work (ToW) would be related to the structure’s status – if the structure is being newly constructed, Type of Work = New – but if the structure already exists, Type of Work = Alteration (and if the system is being installed along with a newly constructed addition, then Type of Work = Addition). Solar is not considered as ‘Other’ under CoC or under ToW.
   
   
3. Fees – fees will be automated for a standard Structural permit based on the submitted job value that was provided by the Applicant. Automated NEW fees should be reviewed and assessed based on the Solar/PV system type.
   
   
   1. If the system type is non-prescriptive, all automated fees should be selected and deleted. Then, go to Fees > ADD > add ‘1’ each of Non-Prescriptive Photovoltaic fee and ‘1’ each of Structural Plan Review > Submit. The system will add the Non-Prescriptive Photovoltaic fee item, Structural Plan Review, and State Surcharge – the fees for non-prescriptive systems are valuation-based structural fees, just like the standard structural permit fees, but using the named fee in this case assists greatly in reporting, specifically on solar install data.
      
      
   2. If the system type is prescriptive, all automated fees should be selected and deleted. Then, go to Fees > ADD > add ‘1’ each of Prescriptive Photovoltaic fee > Submit. The system will add the Prescriptive Photovoltaic fee item and State Surcharge – the Prescriptive Photovoltaic fee already includes plan review, so plan review is not separately charged with this system type. Use of this required named fee again assists greatly in reporting, specifically on solar install data.
      
      
4. Plan Review and Issuance – both prescriptive and non-prescriptive qualifying installs both require plans to be reviewed. Workflow is initiated as with any other structural application, moved though plan review to Completeness task. Issuance fees are collected at issuance and the permit is issued.
   
   
5. Inspections – appropriate and required inspections are then scheduled by the Applicant and inspected. Once final inspection is approved – the permit is finaled. No Certificate of Occupancy (COO) is indicated for Solar/PV installs – however, a Certificate of Satisfactory Completion (CSC) is best practice and can be very helpful in providing formal documentation that the install project has met requirements and is complete.  Go to Summary tab > Reports dropdown > generate the CSC – this report will automatically attach to the record Documents tab. The Applicant or other parties associated to the permit are then able to download the CSC report, or any other attached documents, online through ACA at BuildingPermits.Oregon.gov.
   
   

Follow this link for more information: https://orepermittinghelp.kayako.com/article/163-how-to-permit-for-solar-pv-installs.

The permit types that are available to public users when they are creating an online Building application is dependent on the licensed professional (LP) requirements that are configured in Accela, as well as the license associated to their public user account.  The ePermitting team found that Driveway, Commercial Sign, and Residential Sign permit type LP requirements were incorrect.  The following corrections have been made across all jurisdictions.
Note: no changes were made to how these permit types function in the back office.
 

• Driveway
  • Record Type = Building/Driveway/Access/Comprehensive
  • Previous LP requirement = none
  • New LP requirement = CCB or Engineer

 

• Commercial Sign
  • Record Type = Building/Commercial/Sign/Comprehensive
  • Previous LP requirement = (PB) Plumbing Contractor
  • New LP requirement = CCB

 

• Residential Sign
  • Record Type = Building/Residential/Sign/Comprehensive
  • Previous LP requirement = none
  • Less than 20 Residential Sign records were ever submitted online across all jurisdictions, so we made the decision to remove the ability to apply online for this permit type across all jurisdictions.

During the first half of 2025, ePermitting will be phasing out the IVR (telephone) inspection scheduling system, which also includes SelectText inspection scheduling.
We are phasing these out because the usage is very minimal, and those users that try IVR often struggle to successfully schedule their inspections.

The phase out will happen over the course of the next six months:

1. We will be removing all information concerning IVR from the inspection brochure; then,
2. Online IVR training materials will be removed from ACA; next,
3. We will start modifying reports to remove references to IVR; and, lastly
4. IVR will no longer be available for inspection scheduling.

We anticipate that IVR will no longer be available by Summer, 2025 but will send out updates as we proceed with this project. 

With the sunset of the IVR Inspection scheduling option, customers can still schedule online thru ACA directly or using Easy Scheduling, and/or through the ePermitting app.


Also, if you would like to have Jerod Broadfoot conduct contractor training on how to schedule inspections using the app and the website, please contact him at:  [email protected].

City of Clatskanie - Go live Spring of 2025
City of Jacksonville - Go live Spring of 2025
City of Lafayette - Go live Spring of 2025
City of Lakeside - Go live Spring of 2025
City of Oakridge - Go live Spring of 2025
City of Vernonia - Go live Spring of 2025
​Dunes City - Go live Spring of 2025

Join us in welcoming the City of Fairview, City of King City, City of Lowell, City of Ontario, and City of Sherwood who joined Oregon ePermitting in the Fall of 2024.

A new record type called Code Authorization is now available for all jurisdictions using the Code Compliance module. You may start using the record type anytime! It was developed so that jurisdictions who manage certain authorizations through Code Compliance can record fees and payments, issue an authorization to the applicant, and track inspections. For example, Klamath County authorizes camping on personal property for 21 days. This record type allows the county to manage and track camping authorizations. The record type was designed to be very flexible across all jurisdictions by modifying the Authorization Type dropdown. Other possible use cases are authorizing garage sales, lemonade stands, or even short term rentals through Code Compliance.

Please contact the ePermitting Team to modify the Authorization Type dropdown by emailing [email protected].
 
Here are more helpful details about the Code Authorization record type:

• Intake
  • Parcel and Owner are required; Address is optional
  • Applicant is required
  • Authorization Type is required
  • You can also optionally add Internal Comments directly from the intake form.
• Custom Fields
  • The custom fields are very simple: Authorization Type, Start Date, End Date, and Description.
  • Start Date and End Date can be used if the authorization you are granting is only for a certain time period. These fields are optional.
• Conditions of Approval
  • Use Conditions of Approval to record any other details or requirements regarding the authorization you are granting. For example: For a Camping Authorization, you may describe the type of camping allowed and the number of people.
  • Important Note: Conditions of Approval will be printed on the Authorization Permit for added clarity. Be sure to use this as much as needed and take advantage of the formatting options available for COAs!
• Fees
  • Fees and payments can be recorded on the record. The Code fee schedule is selected by default. Please contact the ePermitting Team if you need new fees added to the Code fee schedule to manage Code Authorizations.
  • Important Note: No records within the Code Compliance module are available online, including Code Authorizations. So submitting an online payment is not available for your customers.
• Workflow
  • The workflow mimics trade permits in the Building module (Application Intake > Authorization Review > Authorization Issuance > Inspection Process > Close Out).
  • Workflow emails are available and can be used to communicate with your customers or with internal staff.
• Inspection
  • Inspections can be recorded on this record type, such as a Site Visit or Follow Up inspection.
  • Inspections can be resulted through the Oregon Inspector App.
  • Important Note: No records within the Code Compliance module are available online, including Code Authorizations. So your customers are unable to schedule or view inspections online. However, you can email your customer inspection results through the back office or via the Oregon Inspector App.
• Report – Code Authorization Permit
  • A Code Authorization Permit report is available to provide to your customer.
  • The report is automatically generated from workflow once the Authorization is issued.
  • The report can also be generated from the Record Summary tab.
  • The report will display the COAs on the record, along with any formatting.

You can now customize the invoice report to include payment directions. Here is an example:

If you're interested in customizing your agency's invoice report, submit a help desk ticket to [email protected].

In our continuous efforts to improve security, we will be enhancing Accela user security, which includes: Requiring more complex passwords as well as standardization for password timeout and account disable time frames.
 
Password Requirements
Beginning September 1st, new password requirements will go into effect. Passwords will now require:

• A minimum of 12 characters
• At least 1 upper-case letter (A,B,C..)
• At least 1 lower-case letter (a,b,c…)
• At least 1 number (0,1,2…)
• You may not use your USER ID as part of your password
• The following special characters are not allowed:   ‘, “, #
• You may not re-use your past five (5) passwords

 
*These changes will apply to ACA users as well
 
Six failed login attempts within 24 hours will result in your account being locked.

In addition to the password requirement changes listed above, we will be standardizing the password timeout (password required to be changed based on the last date it was changed) and account disable timeout (based on the user’s last login date when logging directly into an agency) time frames.

The Kayako knowledgebase article about "How to manually reset a password before it expires," can be found here: https://orepermittinghelp.kayako.com/article/224-manually-resetting-password.

Account Disable Timeout
Account disable timeout is the time period from the user’s last login date (when logging directly into the agency). The user’s last login date is not updated when a user delegates into an agency or when a user logs into the Oregon Inspector App (though we are working with our app developer to see if they might be able to change this setting).
 
As of September 1st, we will be setting the Account Disable Timeout to 365 days for all users with the exception of system users (these are users that are not actually logged into by an individual but are used for integrations such as the apps).  
 
If a user has not logged directly into any agencies where they have a user account within 365 days of the last time they logged directly into that agency, their account will become disabled.
 
If you are a DELEGATE USER (you log into OREGON and use the delegate dropdown to navigate to other cities and/or counties) or an inspector that generally only uses the Oregon Inspector App, please be aware, that in order to prevent your account from becoming disabled, you need to log directly into each of your agencies (must log into back office) at least once every 365 days.
 
Password Timeout
Password timeout timeframes will be set to 180 days for all users with the exception of system users (these are users that are not actually logged into by an individual but are used for integrations such as the apps).  
 
After Sept. 1, you will be prompted to change your password every 180 days (unless you’ve changed it sooner). If it’s been more than 180 days since your last password change as of September 1st, you will be prompted to change it before logging in.
 
If you are a DELEGATE USER, please be aware that passwords are set at the individual agency level (including OREGON) and you will need to log into each of your agencies directly to change the password, if you wish to use the same password in all of your agencies. If you update your OREGON password and then use the agency dropdown to switch to one of your delegate agencies, you will not be able to use the same password that you used for OREGON. You will need to log out of OREGON and log directly into the other agency(ies).
 
It is our recommendation that DELEGATE USERS and app users log directly into each of their agencies when updating their password(s), this will effectively also update the last login date for that agency so that their account will not become disabled.
 
*If you need help with your password or a disabled account, submit a ticket to [email protected]

You can now generate a single invoice across multiple records through a Set – see steps below!  The invoice will show the total outstanding balance for the entire Set, including a break down by record and by fee item.  It will ignore records in the Set that have a zero outstanding balance.  You also have the ability to email the invoice to your customers.

Steps:

1. Add the appropriate records to a Set.
2.  *IMPORTANT* Navigate to the Set tab > select a Set Type.  A new Set Type named Set Payment has been added to this list and can be selected but any of the other options will work too.  If a Set Type is not selected, you won’t see the invoice report in the next step.

    3. Navigate to the Set Member tab > place a check next to one record > hover over Reports > click Comprehensive Invoices for Set.

    ​4. The Invoice is ready to view/print/email.

Converge/Elavon – the credit card processing agent your jurisdiction uses for online (and potentially back office) ePermitting  transactions – has recently made us aware of a very important change process they require.

When and if the “Authorized Signer” – or person responsible for this account (Finance Manager or Director typically )–  changes for any participating agency – there is change process required by Converge/Elavon.  ePermitting provides the information and instructions from Converge/Elavon, when a  Finance Management Change Request form is filled out. This form is required because ePermitting has to make some updates and then we can also help ensure that your agency has the necessary information from Converge/Elavon.

Please be aware of this new requirement and process, failure to submit these changes with Converge/Elavon in particular, and in a timely manner, could potentially result in suspension of your agency’s credit card processing account.

The Financial Management Change Request form is available through the Kayako Knowledgebase at: https://orepermittinghelp.kayako.com/article/221-finance-management-change-request.

For jurisdictions using the Public Works module - a new service area for tracking Stormwater is now available, as of May 8, 2024!

Purpose:
Development brings with it more impervious surfaces that result in additional stormwater runoff that may require a permit be obtained from a local jurisdiction to comply with local post-construction quantity and/or quality treatment standards. The new Stormwater service area will allow jurisdictions to standardize their approach to regulating stormwater and more easily track those permits that don’t quite fit within the existing three service areas.

Changes you will see:

• A new checkbox named, "Includes Stormwater" under "01 General Information" / "Building Information"
• A new tab in the menu navigation named, "05 Stormwater" with several fields used to record the Stormwater permit details.
• Revised PW Permit that will display the Stormwater permit details and jurisdiction custom standard Stormwater permit language, if provided.

What we need from you:
Please submit a Kayako ticket by emailing [email protected] if you would like either of the following modified, based on the new Stormwater service area:

• Standard permit language that will appear on the PW Permit for Stormwater.  This language could include disclaimers, instructional text, County/State Code or Ordinance, policy statements, etc.
• Application Type dropdown list.

We hope that this new service area will assist you in your Public Works permitting!

Beginning Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, the following additional checks became effective and now prevents the C of O from being issued through workflow until resolved:

1. All related records are closed/finaled.
2. Valuation Calculator data is entered.

Both additions align the Certificate of Occupancy process with code requirements.  Feel free to reach out to the ePermitting Team by emailing [email protected] if you have any questions about this and we are glad to assist.

​The DEQ Surcharge fee is increasing from $100 to $117, effective Aug. 1, 2024.  The ePermitting team is working closely with DEQ on this timeline and will be proactively creating a new Onsite fee schedule version that will automatically go into effect Aug. 1, 2024 that will include the new surcharge amount.  This only applies to jurisdictions who are using the ePermitting Onsite module.  There is no need for each county to submit a ticket requesting the surcharge increase – we are taking care of it for you!  No other fees will be touched during this update.  Please feel free reach out with any questions by sending an email to the ePermitting Team at [email protected] or Corby Eden at DEQ at [email protected].  Please note that the surcharge increase will not be officially approved by the Environmental Quality Commission until their next meeting scheduled for July 12, 2024.  If the surcharge increase is not approved, you will be notified by DEQ and the ePermitting Team will not make any changes to the DEQ surcharge amount.

Following the Accela upgrade several users noted some changes in the task specific information forms (TSI) associated to some workflow tasks. In some cases, fields were squished, and in others the form would be extremely stretched to the point that users could not see all of the fields on the form. Strangely, this issue was not consistent across all workflow tasks or even across all agencies. We have submitted a ticket to Accela to help identify what caused the issue. In the meantime, we have reformatted all forms using the new designer which should alleviate the scrolling issues.

​As of Mon, 6/17/2024 changes were made to the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O), Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (Temp C of O), and the Onsite Certificate of Satisfactory Completion (Onsite CSC) reports.  The most exciting changes were made to the C of O and Temp C of O where a scanned image of the Building Official’s signature can be uploaded into Accela and display at the bottom of the document.  If a scanned signature is not available in Accela, the report will now display the Building Official’s name in a cursive font.  If your Building Official is interested in taking advantage of the option to include a scanned image of their signature, please email [email protected] and the ePermitting Team will provide specs for the scanned image file.  The Onsite CSC was reformatted so that the issuing Sanitarian stands out more and their name is included in a cursive font.  Unfortunately, the option to add a scanned image of each Sanitarian’s signature is not available.  See below for before and after screenshots of the report changes.
 
C of O
Before:

After:

 After (example with scanned signature)

​Temp C of O
Before:

After:

Onsite CSC
Before:

After:

A new enhancement was just released by our app developer so that we can customize the contact information at the top of the Inspection Summary Report that's generated from the Oregon Inspector App (OIA). Previously, we could only configure one set of contact information that displayed across all modules for an agency. If you would like the module contact information to be customized for each module of your agency, please submit a ticket to the ePermitting Team by emailing [email protected]. Be sure to include which modules should be customized and the appropriate contact details.

The Accela upgrade for 2024 is now complete, for more information visit: www.oregon.gov/bcd/epermitting/juris_hub/Pages/upgrade-info.aspx.
​
Accela Version Upgrade (23.2.4) Highlights

The Inquiry record type for Building can now be available to be searchable on ACA. If you would like us to turn this optional functionally on and allow the Inquiry record type to be search on ACA, please submit a help desk ticket request  – submit to [email protected].

This is just a helpful tip when using the V_RECORD or V_OSM_BUILDING_RECORD views in Adhoc Reports - the views automatically exclude records with the status of Void.  If you are comparing the number of records in your Adhoc Report to the number of records from search another method, like a Record List Search, you may see different results if any of the records are Void.