Code
Washington County adopted a ruling in 1959 that required building permits in the unincorporated area. This was at a time when the county was in the middle of developing all of the zoning for the county. Building permits were issued and inspected using a basic safety code developed by the county.
On September 22, 1964, the county adopted a Home Rule Charter which included Ordinance #25 adopting the 1964 Uniform Building Code as the standard for the County Building Code.
In 1973, the state of Oregon introduced and passed legislation for a statewide building code program. Key concepts included in this legislation were statewide uniformity, adoption of model codes; state building code composed of speciality codes, i.e. structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, boiler, elevator, local enforcement, certification of building inspectors and officials by July 1, 1977 and a training program financed by a 1 percent surcharge on all building permits.
Since that time, Oregon has adopted a number of speciality codes to enhance the safety regulations in all areas:
Oregon Structural Speciality Code (OSSC)
| Edition | Effective Date |
| 1973 Uniform Building Code(UBC) | July 1, 1974 |
| 1976 (UBC) | March 1, 1978 |
| 1979 (UBC) | July 1, 1980 |
| 1982 (UBC) | August 1, 1983 |
| 1985 (UBC) | July 1, 1986 |
| 1988 (UBC) | January 1, 1990 |
| 1991 (UBC) | January 1, 1993 |
| 1994 (UBC) | April 1, 1996 |
| 1997 (UBC) | October 1, 1998 |
| 1997 (UBC) | Oregon amended 1998, 4/99,10/99,4/00,10/00,10/01,1/02,10/03 |
| 2003 International Building Code (IBC) |
October 1, 2004 |
|
2006 (IBC) 2009 (IBC) |
April 1, 2007 July 1, 2010
|
Oregon Residential Speciality Code (ORSC)
| Edition | Effective Date |
| 1983 Council of American Building Officials (CABO) | May 1, 1986 |
| 1986 (CABO) | Not adopted |
| 1989 (CABO) | April 1, 1990 |
| 1992 (CABO) | May 1, 1993 |
| 1992 (CABO) | April 1, 1995 |
| 1995 (CABO) | April 1. 1996 |
| 1998 International Residential Code 1 & 2 | April 1, 2000 |
| 2000 (IRC) | April 1, 2003 |
| 2003 (IRC) | April 1, 2005 |
| 2006 (IRC) | April 1, 2008 |
Oregon Mechanical Speciality Code (OMSC)
| Edition | Effective Date |
| 1973 Uniform Mechanical Code (UMC) |
July 1, 1974 |
| 1976 (UMC) | March 1, 1978 |
| 1979 (UMC) | July 1, 1980 |
| 1982 (UMC) | August 1, 1983 |
| 1985 (UMC) | May 1, 1986 |
| 1988 (UMC) | January 1, 1990 |
| 1991 (UMC) | January 1, 1993 |
| 1994 (UMC) | April 1, 1996 |
| 1998 International Mechanical Code (IMC) | October 1, 1999 |
| 2000 (IMC) | October 1, 2002 |
| 2003 (IMC) | October 1, 2004 |
|
2006 (IMC) 2009 (IMC) |
April 1, 2007 July 1, 2010 |
Oregon Plumbing Speciality Code (OPSC)
| Edition | Effective Date |
| 1973 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) | February 1, 1975 |
| 1976 (UPC) | January 1, 1978 |
| 1979 (UPC) | July 1, 1981 |
| 1980 (based on 1979) | October 13, 1984 |
| 1985 (UPC) | January 1, 1987 |
| 1988 (UPC) | January 1, 1990 |
| 1991 (UPC) | February 1, 1992 |
| 1994 (UPC) | April 1, 1996 |
| 1997 (UPC) | April 1, 2000 |
| 2003 (UPC) | April 1, 2005 |
| 2006 (UPC) | April 1, 2008 |
Oregon Electrical Speciality Code
| Edition | Effective Date |
| 1968 National Electrical Code (NEC) | January 1, 1969 |
| 1971 (NEC) | May 1, 1972 (est.) |
| 1975 (NEC) | July 1, 1975 |
| 1978 (NEC) | January 1, 1978 |
| 1981 (NEC) | October 1, 1981 |
| 1984 (NEC) | July 1, 1984 |
| 1987 (NEC) | May 1, 1987 |
| 1990 (NEC) | July 1, 1990 |
| 1993 (NEC) | July 1, 1993 |
| 1996 (NEC) | October 1, 1996 |
| 1999 (NEC) | April 1, 2000 |
| 2002 (NEC) | October 1, 2002 |
| 2005 (NEC) | April 1, 2005 |
| 2008 (NEC) | April 1, 2008 |
For information on additional state codes, please see: State of Oregon Code History
