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:

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].

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.

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.

​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].

We are very excited to announce that the ePermitting Team has created a brand new Code Compliance (CC) module that will be rolled out to all jurisdictions who are currently using the Planning Investigation record type to track code compliance issues.  The new CC module is identical to all the things Code related that are currently in the Planning module, including the Investigation record type.  The biggest benefit to the new module is that users will no longer see confusing items that are related to Planning that do not apply to code work.
 
The CC module includes the two record types listed below.  There are also several enhancements we added to the new CC module - follow this link for a full list. 

1. Code Investigation - this record type is identical to Planning Investigation
2. Code Inquiry (NEW) - this is a new flexible record type to be used as a placeholder for non-case related Code information or activity.

 
As a part of this project, at go-live, our team will transition all existing Planning Investigation records over into the Code Investigation record type in the CC module so that all Code records can be found in a single module.
 
Klamath County was our first jurisdiction to go live with the new CC module on 12/11/2023.  We are working on a schedule to transition the rest of the jurisdictions who are actively using the Planning Investigation record type.  Our team will contact jurisdictions about two weeks prior to their go-live to prep and work through the transition.  There will be about a 30 minute downtime window on the early morning of go-live day for our team to process the transition in the system.  The new CC module will also be offered to newly implementing jurisdictions as an available module.  If you have any questions or would like more information, please submit a ticket at [email protected].

On 12/19/2023, the ePermitting Team released a new enhancement for the Onsite module. These changes were requested and approved by Oregon DEQ who has authority for Onsite. This change impacts online applications only; back office functionality did not change. Public users who are submitting online applications for an Onsite Authorization, Site Evaluation, or Permit will now be required to enter data in the fields listed below so that more complete information will be collected online to process the application.

Note: All existing required fields will not change (Authorization & Permit = Type of Application; Site Evaluation = Type of Application, Category of Construction, Site Ready for Inspection).
​
Additionally, a field named, Existing Use of Structure was added to the Onsite Site Evaluation record type.
 
Required Fields for Onsite Authorization:

• Category of Construction
• Acreage or Lot Size
• Water Supply
• Existing Use of Structure
• Proposed Use of Structure
• Site Ready for Inspection

** If Type of Application = Residential Authorization, then these additional fields will become visible and required:

• Number of Bedrooms (Existing)
• Number of Bedrooms (Proposed Total)

** If Type of Application = Commercial Authorization, then these additional fields will become visible and required:

• Number of Employees (Existing)
• Number of Employees (Proposed Total)
• Number of Seating (Existing)
• Number of Seating (Proposed Total)

 
Required Fields for Onsite Site Evaluation:

• Acreage or Lot Size
• Water Supply
• Existing Use of Structure
• Proposed Use of Structure

**If Type of Application = Residential Site Evaluation, then these additional fields will become visible and required:

• Number of Bedrooms (Existing)
• Number of Bedrooms (Proposed Total)

**If Type of Application = Commercial Site Evaluation, then these additional fields will become visible and required:

• Number of Employees (Existing)
• Number of Employees (Proposed Total)
• Number of Seating (Existing)
• Number of Seating (Proposed Total)

 
Required Fields for Onsite Permit:

• Category of Construction
• Acreage or Lot Size
• Water Supply
• Existing Use of Structure
• Proposed Use of Structure

**If Type of Application = Construction Permit - Residential, then these additional fields will become visible and required:

• Number of Bedrooms (Existing)
• Number of Bedrooms (Proposed Total)

**If Type of Application = Construction Permit - Commercial, then these additional fields will become visible and required:

• Number of Employees (Existing)
• Number of Employees (Proposed Total)
• Number of Seating (Existing)
• Number of Seating (Proposed Total)

We have begun assigning the individual user Bluebeam licenses that are replacing the concurrent login licenses that we currently use (Bluebeam no longer supports the concurrent licenses).

• The individual user licenses can be installed by each user on up to 3 devices.
• These licenses allow full mark-up and the use of Studio sessions: a fantastic feature which allows licensees to invite others, who don’t have Bluebeam licenses, to a “studio session” to look at plans and leave comments without consuming a license. Studio sessions also facilitate the plan review process by allowing reviewers to concurrently see each another’s comments. You can also invite design professionals and contractors into a studio session, if you choose
• Licenses can be transferred to new employees when you have turnover - new user contact information must be provided at the time of transfer.

Nathan Flowers has begun sending out emails to jurisdictions to get users setup and will continue to do so as quickly as possible to assure everyone has access to Bluebeam.

We plan to provide some Electronic Document Review (EDR) training sessions in 2024, to accompany the new licenses - stay tuned for training details.

Currently, when this record type is created via ACA, no plan review fee is added. In those cases, when plan review is required, a back office staff member has to “Add fee”. When the record is created by back office staff, there is a Yes/No radio button that staff members must set to Yes in order to assess the Structural Plan Review fee. We have heard from several agencies that the structural plan review fee is required in several instances and that people often forget to add it (especially when the application has come in through ACA).

With this update, scripting has been revised so that the Structural Plan Review fee will now assess automatically when the record is created (regardless of whether it's created in the back office or through Citizen Access) and in the case where it is not required, back office users can delete it before invoicing the fees.

In conjunction with the scripting change, the Y/N radio button for Structural Plan Review mentioned above will be removed/hidden.

Valuation Calculator enabled on Citizen Access:
Public users will be able to see all of the Valuation Calculator values that have been added to the record in the back office except the Multiplier and Extra Amount. Public users will be able to navigate to the Valuation Calculator from the "Record Info/Schedule Inspections" dropdown menu.

Linn County joined Oregon ePermitting in Fall 2023: welcome Linn County!

We’ve added two new statuses to the Hearing task for the Planning Tracking record type:

• Final Denial: Will close the record
• Initial Hearing Complete/Referred: Will close the Hearing Task and loop back up to reopen the Staff Report/Decision task

These changes are now live in production and will be available for previously created Planning Tracking records as well as new records.

To find an updated Planning Tracking Workflow Diagram (a diagram showing how each of the statuses moves through/affects the overall Planning Tracking workflow) please click here.

In response to Agency requests, we are moving Code Compliance out of the Planning module and into its own module! This new module will have the exact same record type/design/functionality but will be in its own dedicated module. 

Providing Code Compliance as a dedicated module, now allows Code officers and staff to much more easily manage their cases apart from Planning applications and other Planning-specific configuration. User access to Code cases and data can now also be more specifically managed and/or restricted. We are also improving upon existing Code reports and have created a new Code-specific inspection work site report, that include the Code-specific inspection results.
​
For any agency that is already using the Planning Investigation record type for cases will have all its data moved into the new dedicated module. The record type will be renamed from “Planning Investigation” to “Code Compliance.” 

We will notify agencies in advance of this transition, and work directly with agency staff on the details. 
​
Stay tuned!

With the Accela Upgrade, there were some changes to the public facing website(ACA). We have updated the ePermitting Online Training (https://www.oregon.gov/bcd/epermitting/howto/Pages/index.aspx) with updated screenshots.

The training site has a walkthrough of most everything a customer can do on ACA. 

We have also updated the Online Homeowner Applications document. This is the document you the jurisdiction can give to a home owner. So they can walkthrough an application online using the Owner License. The document has a fresh layout and updated screenshots.  

We were recently informed that Bluebeam will no longer allow the concurrent licensing model that we are currently providing for electronic document review. ePermitting will continue to provide Bluebeam, but we will be providing a set number of individual licenses to each jurisdiction. 

We will be paying for the annual renewal costs of those licenses.

We are finalizing our agreement with Bluebeam, so the number of licenses per jurisdiction has not yet been determined.

After we execute the agreement, we will be reaching out first to jurisdictions that are currently using Bluebeam, so that they can continue to use it without interruption. Then, we will then be giving licenses to all ePermitting jurisdictions, since everyone will be required to accept electronic plans by January 1, 2025. We will provide updates through emails/GovDelivery as we get more information.

​Please be sure to read to the bottom of this article for important information regarding the implementation of these changes.

We have created an enhancement to allow ACA applicants to declare their additional Energy Measures when applying for dwelling or residential structural record types. Additionally, we are moving where this information is displayed in the back office of Accela. 

When the Additional Energy Measures fields were originally added to the model, they were included in the building review task. At that time, because of how the Accela back office interface was structured, that made the most sense. Over the years as we have upgraded, changes in Accela have made it more difficult for users to go back and find that information. We’re now adding a new tab to the main menu navigation for residential dwelling and residential structural record types, making it much easier for users to find and/or update.

Previously entered in the Building Review workflow task. Once the review was complete, the user would need to navigate to the building review task in Workflow History to once again view and/or update the information.

​With this enhancement, the information is now available to be recorded and viewed in it’s own tab within the left hand navigation panel (screenshot below is for the Residential Structural Record type and now allows the user to choose from the correct tables based on the size of an addition):

​In ACA, for the DWL record types, there is a single field:

For the Residential Structural record type in ACA, additional energy measures are in their own section in order to provide more context for users to know which table they should be selecting from. We’ve also included a link to the source document (Residential energy additional measure selection (oregon.gov):

​Implementation: This enhancement we will be rolled out one agency at a time. As part of the implementation we will be migrating the current energy measure data (for all existing records) from the building review in workflow to the new tab. When we are ready to start implementing this enhancement for your agency, we will reach out to your designated agency contact with the details of the implementation/migration and to answer any questions they may have. Please keep an eye out for these communications as it will be important for you to respond in a timely manner and for you to communicate the changes to your internal users.

To help agencies specifically keep track of the Air Leakage/Sealing Compliance Method on dwelling construction- a new inspection type called 1465 Blower Door has been added to the Model.

When agencies begin their residential plan review, it is recommended that they PEND this inspection to the record when the plans indicate that the dwelling should be tested to demonstrate the blower door result (rather than a declaration that they are meeting the requirements of Table N1104.8).

Please note the related citation for your information:

N1104.8.2 Sealing required.
​
Exterior joints around window and door frames, between wall cavities and window or door frames, between walls and foundation, between walls and roof, between wall panels, at penetrations or utility services through walls, floors and roofs and all other openings in the exterior envelope shall be sealed in a manner approved by the building official.
 
Sealing for the purpose of creating a continuous air barrier shall be in accordance with the applicable requirements of Table N1104.8 or the dwelling shall be tested to demonstrate a blower door result not greater than 4.0 ACH50.