Pull PP&D permit and code-compliance history for your address

What you're looking for

Portland Maps shows every recorded permit, complaint, code-compliance case, and unresolved notice tied to your address under the Permits & Inspections tab. Three things to look for:

1. Unresolved or expired permits. Open or expired permits from prior owners can hold up your new submittal until they're closed out. A previous re-roof permit that never got a final inspection is a common one.
2. Code-compliance cases. Active violations have to be resolved before PP&D will issue a new permit. If a prior owner had an unpermitted basement bedroom flagged, that's now your problem to fix.
3. Original construction date. The permit history confirms whether you're dealing with pre-1978 (federal lead RRP applies) and pre-1981 (Oregon DEQ asbestos rules apply) construction. Cross-check with Multnomah County Assessor's record of construction year.

How to do it

1. Open Portland Maps and search your address.
2. Open the Permits & Inspections tab.
3. Print or screenshot the full history. You'll attach it to your eventual permit submittal as part of the existing-conditions narrative.

What good looks like

A clean history is a one-page list of routine permits (re-roof in 2007, water heater in 2015, sewer repair in 2019), all closed. Most older Portland houses look like this.

A complicated history shows expired permits, open complaints, or large-scale prior work without final sign-off. Each unresolved item is something to clean up before you submit the addition.