TL;DR (generated, confidence: high)

This page explains Life Safety Preliminary Meetings offered by Portland's Bureau of Development Services, which allow property owners to discuss building code issues related to structural, fire, mechanical, and residential codes with specialized reviewers.

Key points:

Life Safety reviewers can address occupancy, fire-resistant construction, exiting and egress, accessibility requirements, structural requirements, and architect requirements for commercial and residential projects (Life Safety Preliminary Meetings ↗)
Preliminary Meetings can be requested when more information is needed than a 15-minute appointment can provide, particularly for complex building code or fire code issues (Life Safety Preliminary Meetings ↗)
Fire Reviewers, Structural Reviewers, or Mechanical Reviewers can attend meetings for an additional fee at the applicant's request (Life Safety Preliminary Meetings ↗)
Meetings can be requested at any point during a project, including during conceptual design, prior to Design Review, and during permitting (Life Safety Preliminary Meetings ↗)
Relevant for property line adjustments affecting code compliance, occupancy changes, accessibility improvements, code compliance cases, egress assessment, and unresolved permitting questions (Life Safety Preliminary Meetings ↗)
Projects on the FPP Client and Building List should contact the Facilities Permit Program (FPP) instead to determine if the building qualifies for FPP review (Life Safety Preliminary Meetings ↗)
Contact the General Inquiries phone number to request a Life Safety Preliminary Meeting or ask questions about eligibility (Life Safety Preliminary Meetings ↗)

Entities: service: Life Safety Preliminary Meeting · Early Assistance · 15-minute appointments | code_standard: Oregon Structural Specialty Code · Oregon Fire Code · Oregon Mechanical Specialty Code · Oregon Residential Specialty Code | role: Life Safety Plan Reviewer · Fire Reviewer · Structural Reviewer · Mechanical Reviewer | program: Facilities Permit Program | process: Design Review

Life Safety Preliminary Meetings

← Home

Breadcrumb: Home > Life Safety Preliminary Meetings

Source: Life Safety Preliminary Meetings ↗ Last modified: Sun, 19 Apr 2026 20:02:46 GMT

This page provides basic information for when and how to submit for a Life Safety Preliminary Meeting to discuss Building Code issues and questions related to the Oregon Structural Specialty Code (OSSC) and the Oregon Fire Code (OFC). Although less frequently requested or required, code issues related to the Oregon Mechanical Specialty Code (OMSC) and the Oregon Residential Specialty Code (ORSC) may also be addressed at these meetings.

How Life Safety can help

Life Safety reviewers can answer building code questions related to commercial and residential projects through a preliminary meeting. Issues that can be addressed by reviewers include:

the occupancy of buildings
fire resistant construction
exiting and egress for occupants
accessibility requirements
structural requirements
when an architect is required

When to request a Life Safety Preliminary Meeting

The Life Safety Preliminary Meeting is an option when more information is required than a phone call or a 15-minute appointment ↗ can provide.

For projects with complex building code or fire code issues that require additional assistance, you can request a preliminary meeting with a Life Safety Plan Reviewer. A Fire Reviewer, a Structural Reviewer or a Mechanical Reviewer can attend the meeting at the request of the applicant for an additional fee. These meetings may be requested at any point during the project. Please contact the General Inquiries phone number for questions or to set up a meeting.

Examples of when a preliminary meeting can be requested include but are not limited to:

When property line adjustments ↗ impact code compliance ↗ of existing buildings.
Prior to submitting for Design Review ↗ to verify that the proposed design will not conflict with Building Code requirements.
During conceptual design when occupancy changes, additions or construction valuation can impact seismic upgrade requirements
When accessibility improvements are required based on alterations or additions.
When a building or site has a building code compliance case ↗ that must be addressed.
During design development to assess egress components, fire rating requirements or sprinkler requirements for code compliance.
During permitting when additional questions arise that cannot be addressed through the standard checksheet response ↗.

Preliminary Meetings are for projects that will be reviewed by the Life Safety review group. If the owner or building is on the FPP Client and Building List, please connect with the Facilities Permit Program (FPP) ↗ to determine if the building can be reviewed by FPP. For questions about the eligibility of the project, contact the FPP team ↗. We also offer Early Assistance for both simple and complex projects. Learn more about Early Assistance meetings ↗.