Building permits, zoning and land rules in Wasco County, Oregon

Yes. Oregon requires local permits before new residential construction and specified structural, plumbing, mechanical and electrical alterations begin, including in Wasco County¹. Homes are built to the Oregon Residential Specialty Code, based on the 2021 International Residential Code and mandatory since April 1, 2024⁹. Some work is exempt, so describe the exact project to Wasco County Building Codes Services before assuming a permit is unnecessary¹.

Wasco County Building Codes Services reviews applications and issues building permits; its official page directs licensed contractors to Oregon ePermitting for online applications⁴. The county's building-code ordinance covers the whole county, including inside the limits of its cities, and the same office runs inspections¹⁰. Permitted work must remain accessible and exposed for inspection, and work cannot advance beyond each required inspection point without approval⁶. A new dwelling or townhouse cannot be occupied until the building official issues a certificate of occupancy, unless a temporary certificate is issued; permit-exempt work and accessory buildings do not need one⁶. Oregon's owner-builder provision does not eliminate the building permit: for a qualifying owner-built home and adjacent outbuildings, it only exempts structural-code rules for ceiling heights, room sizes and maintaining specified temperatures, and the owner cannot have used the exemption in the previous 5 years⁶.

Wasco County Building Codes Services is the contact for building permits, plan review and inspections; the office is at 2705 East 2nd St. in The Dalles and uses Oregon ePermitting for online contractor applications⁴. Wasco County Planning Division handles zoning, land-use permits and parcel-specific development questions from its office at 2705 E 2nd St. in The Dalles¹¹.

Call Planning before commissioning plans because the applicable land-use ordinance changes if the parcel lies in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area². Building applications, plans, specifications and supporting data are reviewed by the Building Official, and other county departments may review the project for laws within their jurisdiction¹². Wasco County permit and plan-review fees vary: the county sets fees by resolution, and the Building Official determines the construction valuation used to calculate them¹². Ask Building Codes Services for a project-specific fee estimate rather than budgeting from a single flat permit price¹².

Yes. Wasco County's land-use ordinances and zoning maps regulate new development outside incorporated communities². To find a parcel's zone, locate it on the county's online map tool, then read the matching Land Use and Development Ordinance². Inside The Dalles, The Dalles sets its own zoning under its Land Use and Development Ordinance, which also reaches the urbanizable area between city limits and the urban growth boundary¹³. In unincorporated Wasco County outside the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, the county ordinance applies; inside the Scenic Area, the Scenic Area ordinance applies². Septic permits stay with North Central Public Health District for every address, city or not³.

Scenic Area rules are the most specific the county publishes. In the A-1 agriculture zone, structures need 25 feet of front and side setback and 40 feet at the rear, and height tops out at 35 feet unless Scenic Area Review restricts it further⁸. In the R-R rural residential zone the setbacks are 25 feet front, 15 feet interior side, 20 feet exterior side and 20 feet rear⁸. Any dwelling or structure without an easement must sit at least 50 feet from the centerline of an irrigation ditch or pipeline that continues past the parcel⁸.

Parcel size is district-specific: A-1 parcels start at 40 acres, with 60, 80 and 160 acre variants, and F-1 forest parcels need at least 80 acres⁸. In the Special Management Area, no new dwelling or related major structure is permitted on fewer than 40 contiguous acres of agricultural land⁸. Subdivisions are prohibited in F-1, and land divisions in the Special Management Area are generally barred unless a new parcel facilitates federal acquisition⁸. Where subdivision is allowed, preliminary approval is valid for 24 months¹⁴. Ask the Planning Division to confirm the parcel's jurisdiction, zone, overlays and land-division options before relying on a purchase plan¹¹.

North Central Public Health District administers onsite wastewater permitting in Wasco County as Oregon DEQ's local agent³. A septic permit is required to install a new system or alter or repair an existing system³. After an Environmental Health Specialist reviews the application and confirms that the site-evaluation conditions and applicable rules are satisfied, the district can issue the separate installation permit required before construction³. The installation permit is valid for one year from issuance³. Applications and permits are processed through Oregon ePermitting, with phone assistance available for applicants who cannot use the online system³. The completed system must be inspected and approved³.

Only 6.8% of mapped soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional septic drain field, so make a site evaluation an early purchase contingency rather than assuming a standard system will work¹⁵. A composting toilet does not remove the wastewater question: a home installation requires a plumbing permit, and other plumbing fixtures still need an approved wastewater treatment connection¹⁶. A building inside a sewer district still needs a sewer connection even if it uses a composting toilet¹⁶.

Oregon protects RV occupancy in limited circumstances, including qualifying park settings with lawful utility connections and temporary placement after a dwelling becomes uninhabitable in a natural disaster⁵. That rule does not create unrestricted long-term RV living on every private parcel, and local governments may impose additional conditions⁵.

Wasco County's rule for ordinary temporary camping on private land could not be confirmed, so ask the Planning Division about the parcel, proposed duration and utility connections before moving an RV onto the land¹¹. Wasco County's occupancy rule for tiny homes, including a tiny home on wheels used as a dwelling, also could not be confirmed; zoning still regulates new development outside incorporated communities². A manufactured dwelling may be occupied on private Oregon land with the owner's consent only when water, sewage and other applicable state and local standards are satisfied¹⁷.

1. Ask the Wasco County Planning Division to identify the zone and whether the ordinary county ordinance or a Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area ordinance applies².
2. Confirm legal access and ask Planning which road authority must approve the approach; the county-road approach requirement could not be confirmed¹¹.
3. Arrange water and wastewater early; North Central Public Health District handles septic site evaluations and permits in Wasco County³.
4. Submit building plans to Wasco County Building Codes Services and request the calculated permit and plan-review fees for the project^4,12.
5. Wait for permit issuance before starting work that requires a permit¹.
6. Keep the work accessible for each required inspection and do not build past an inspection point without approval⁶.
7. Complete the final inspection and obtain a certificate of occupancy before occupying a new dwelling⁶.

Confirm jurisdiction and zoning first because county rules apply outside incorporated communities, incorporated municipalities administer their own local rules, and the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area has a separate county ordinance^2,18. If subdivision is part of the plan, verify feasibility before closing: F-1 forest zones prohibit subdivisions, and Special Management Area divisions are generally barred⁸. Make septic feasibility a contract contingency because only 6.8% of mapped soils lack severe limitations for a conventional drain field¹⁵. Check where irrigation ditches cross the parcel, since structures need a 50-foot setback from a ditch centerline where no easement exists⁸. Confirm the legal water source and well budget; an owner who personally constructs, alters or abandons a water-supply well needs a state permit and bond unless licensed and bonded as a Water Supply Well Constructor⁷.

Verify recorded access and the responsible road authority with the Planning Division before closing¹¹. Wasco County's median property-tax bill is about $2,784 per year, but the parcel's actual assessment can differ¹⁵.