Building permits, zoning and land rules in Garibaldi, Oregon

At a glance

Zoning

Yes, city zoning inside Garibaldi (Title 18 of the municipal code)¹

Land use permit

Required from the city before any structural permit²

Building permit

Required; structural permits come from Tillamook County Community Development²⁵

Septic

Not confirmed inside city limits; county onsite wastewater office is the place to ask⁶

Accessory dwelling

One per lot, owner-occupied, up to 600 sq ft⁷

Short-term rentals

Conditional use in R-1, only south of US 101 or privately accessed from Garibaldi Avenue⁸

Owner-builder

State exemption covers some structural requirements, not the permit itself⁹

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 14, 2026.

Does Garibaldi, Oregon have zoning, and what does it mean for lots, RVs and rentals?

The City of Garibaldi regulates land use inside its municipal borders¹. Zoning sits in Title 18 of the city's municipal code, so a lot inside Garibaldi follows city zones rather than Tillamook County's Land Use Ordinance¹. The county's own zoning rules are for unincorporated land; see the Tillamook County page for land outside the city.

Two city rules matter most to buyers. Garibaldi allows one accessory dwelling unit per lot, the primary home must be owner-occupied (or a family caretaker must manage it), and the unit may be at most 600 square feet or a third of the house's living area, whichever is less⁷. In the R-1 zone, short-term rentals are a conditional use only south of US 101 or where access is private from Garibaldi Avenue⁸.

We could not confirm the city's RV, tiny home, minimum lot size or setback rules for each district. Email the city or call³ before you assume any of those.

Do you need a building permit in Garibaldi, and who issues it?

Yes, building in Garibaldi takes two steps from two offices. First, the city must approve a Garibaldi Land Use Permit Application before any structural permit is issued²³. Second, Tillamook County Community Development regulates structural code inside Garibaldi and issues the structural permit³¹⁰.

The county states that permits are required for new construction and for alterations and additions, covering structural, plumbing, mechanical and electrical work⁵. Oregon's owner-builder exemption relaxes only certain structural requirements such as ceiling heights and room sizes; the owner-built dwelling still needs a building permit⁹.

How do septic permits work inside Garibaldi?

We could not confirm who handles septic permits for lots inside Garibaldi city limits; many city lots are served by municipal sewer and water, and the city's utility rules were not available to us. Ask the city before you plan a septic system on a city lot³.

Outside municipal sewer, Tillamook County administers Oregon's septic rules as DEQ's contractor and requires a septic permit, with a favorable site evaluation on file, before a new system is installed⁶¹¹. Call the county's onsite wastewater office to confirm which applies to your address⁴.

Building a home in Garibaldi: the steps, in order

1. Confirm the zone and what it allows with the city (email [email protected] or call³).
2. Submit the Garibaldi Land Use Permit Application and wait for approval².
3. Confirm sewer or septic with the city and the county onsite wastewater office⁴.
4. Apply for the structural permit with Tillamook County Community Development, Building Division¹⁰.
5. Schedule inspections through the county; the county states a permit expires if the first inspection does not happen within 180 days¹².
6. Get the certificate of occupancy before moving in¹³.

What stays with Tillamook County, and what to check before you buy in Garibaldi

Structural building permits and inspections stay with Tillamook County even inside Garibaldi³. The county's rules for unincorporated land, including its ADU, RV and setback ordinances, do not apply inside city limits; use the Tillamook County page for land outside the city.

Before buying, ask the city about floodplain and hillside overlay mapping, since we could not confirm the floodplain rule inside the city. Oregon requires a landowner permit and bond for anyone drilling their own water-supply well, which matters on any lot not on city water¹⁴. Tillamook County averages about 101 inches of rain a year, and conventional septic soils are rare there, so expect a site evaluation¹⁵¹⁶.

Watch-outs

• The R-1 height and lot coverage figures we saw come from a 2001 ordinance and may have been replaced; confirm current limits with the city before designing¹⁷¹⁸.
• A city land use permit approval does not replace the county's structural permit; both are needed².
• We could not confirm septic authority, RV rules, setbacks or minimum lot size inside Garibaldi; ask the city at³ and the county at⁴.

Sources

1. Building & Development – City of Garibaldi, Oregon (Garibaldi), quoted and re-checked
2. Building & Development – City of Garibaldi, Oregon (Garibaldi), quoted and re-checked
3. City of Garibaldi (land use, planning and zoning) (garibaldi.gov)
4. Tillamook County Community Development - Onsite Wastewater/Environmental Programs Division (tillamookcounty.gov)
5. tillamookcounty.gov, quoted and re-checked
6. Tillamook County FAQs, quoted and re-checked
7. Building & Development – City of Garibaldi, Oregon (Garibaldi), quoted and re-checked
8. Building & Development – City of Garibaldi, Oregon (Garibaldi), quoted and re-checked
9. 2023 Oregon Residential Specialty Code - Chapter 1, quoted and re-checked
10. Tillamook County Department of Community Development - Building Division (tillamookcounty.gov)
11. Instructions for Septic System Construction/Installation Permits, quoted and re-checked
12. Building, quoted and re-checked
13. 2023 Oregon Residential Specialty Code - Chapter 1, quoted and re-checked
14. Landowner Constructed Wells, quoted and re-checked
15. Annual precipitation: Bolthole Index county data
16. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
17. Garibaldi Ordinance No. 251 (2001) (Garibaldi), quoted and re-checked
18. Garibaldi Ordinance No. 251 (2001) (Garibaldi), quoted and re-checked

Written October 14, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.