TL;DR (generated, confidence: high)

This page outlines eligibility requirements for homeowners to self-permit residential electrical work and defines key permit terms (circuits and service/feeder) for Portland's residential electrical permit process.

Key points:

Homeowners can pull permits for primary homes only if: property is not for sale/lease/rent, work done by homeowner or immediate family (mother, father, sister, brother, daughter, son), and home is single-family or duplex (one side only) (Lights, outlets, switches, and service reconnect for residential electrical permits ↗)
Licensed electrical contractors must pull permits if they perform the work; homeowner applicants must email completed application to tradepermits@portlandoregon.gov (Lights, outlets, switches, and service reconnect for residential electrical permits ↗)
Circuit = wire/cable from breaker panel to all items it feeds; count all circuits altered, moved, added to, or replaced in the permit scope (Lights, outlets, switches, and service reconnect for residential electrical permits ↗)
Service/feeder = equipment from utility connection point (weatherhead) through main distribution panel, including meter base, meter main, mast wires, and feeders (Lights, outlets, switches, and service reconnect for residential electrical permits ↗)
Single 200A service permit covers first main distribution panel and all existing circuits; new or moved/altered subpanels require additional service/feeder purchases (Lights, outlets, switches, and service reconnect for residential electrical permits ↗)
Permit fees based on scope of work and processing/inspection effort; see electrical permit fee schedules for specific amounts (Lights, outlets, switches, and service reconnect for residential electrical permits ↗)

Entities: permit type: residential electrical permit | electrical component: circuit · service/feeder | role: homeowner · licensed electrical contractor | specification: 200A service | equipment: meter base · meter main · main distribution panel · subpanel | email endpoint: tradepermits@portlandoregon.gov | category: immediate family member

Lights, outlets, switches, and service reconnect for residential electrical permits

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Source: Lights, outlets, switches, and service reconnect for residential electrical permits ↗ Last modified: Sun, 19 Apr 2026 20:06:13 GMT

When homeowners can pull their own residential electrical permits

Homeowners may pull permits for their own primary home if the: 

property is not and will not be for sale, lease or rent
work will be done by the homeowner or an immediate family member. Immediate family members include: mother, father, sister, brother, daughter or son. Extended family does not count by State of Oregon Rules.
home is a single-family house or duplex, not an apartment, condo or triplex. In a duplex, the homeowner may only pull permits and do electrical work for the side that is their primary home.

Who can apply for residential electrical permits

If a licensed electrical contractor will do the work, they need to pull the permit.
If you are a homeowner, and the property is your primary residence and is not intended for sale, lease or rent you can perform the electrical work yourself. You will need to get the application ↗, print it, fill it out and sign it as the homeowner doing the work, scan it and email it to the trades counter.

Residential electrical permits- fees

Fees are based upon the scope of work you plan to do. We also base them on the amount of work we do to process the permit and inspect the work. Learn more about electrical permit fees ↗.

Circuit

For the purpose of a residential electrical permit ↗, a “circuit” means the wire or cable (romex) from the breaker at the panel to all the items fed by that wire. Any circuit that you are altering, moving, adding to, or replacing lights, switches or receptacles (plugs) on must be counted in this total. 

You may make a good faith guess about how many actual circuits will be affected by the work you plan to do. One easy way to find the number of existing circuits to alter: turn off the breakers one at a time in your panel until all the items you will alter or replace become de-energized.

Service/feeder

For a residential electrical permit ↗, a service/feeder is any or all of the equipment from the place the utility connects power at your house (usually a “weatherhead” on the mast at the meter location) to the main distribution panel. This includes: 

the meter base (meter box without a disconnect) or meter main (meter box with a main disconnect switch/breaker)
the wires in the mast to the meter (service conductors)
the wires from the disconnect to the panel (feeders) and the distribution panel itself.

A permit with a single 200A service covers the first main distribution panel (breaker box) whether or not there is a meter-main with breaker spaces (meter-main with provisions), and all the existing circuits that were in the old panel, whether or not they need to be moved or extended to reach the new panel. 

Any new or moved/altered subpanels and the wires feeding them will require an additional “service/feeder” to be purchased. Any new or extended circuits, other than as mentioned above to reach the panel, will require an additional circuit to be purchased on the permit.