You can search for a permit by entering the site address, the project name, the case/permit number, or the applicant's name. You can also search the database using more than one search criteria (more hints below).

Many land use planning proposals include more than one case - for example, an annexation request may be combined with a request for a subdivision approval. When you check the status of a case, individual cases are displayed; it may not be clear how these cases are related to one another. Also, many of the activities that relate to these cases are the same; case activity information normally is available only for the main case. For these reasons, checking status by project name may be more useful for planning case information.

Search by Site/Project Address

• It is not necessary to complete every field to search by site address.
• If you are not certain of the correct prefix or street designation (e.g., Ave, Blvd, St, etc), leave the field blank for wider search results.
• Do not use punctuation in prefix or street fields.
• Broaden your search by entering a partial address, e.g., to see all cases in the 500 block of Madison Avenue, type 5 in the Number field and Madison in the Street field. A partial entry in the Street field is permitted also--entering Mad will list all street names that begin with the letters "M-a-d."
• Buildings on the Oregon State University campus do not have standard street addresses. To search for a project on the OSU campus, enter the building name in the Street field. For example, to search for permits for Waldo Hall, enter Waldo in the Street field; leave the other fields blank.

Search by Project Name

• Some, but not all, commercial or larger-scale projects are assigned a project name at the time of application; that field is searchable.
• A complete entry in the project name field is not necessary. For example, if you want to find applications or permits for a Safeway store, enter Safeway in the Project field. A list of larger-scope projects related to Safeway will be listed. This is the least comprehensive method of searching; however, it may be useful if you are looking for a larger commercial project.

Search by Case or Permit Number

• Case numbers consist of 10 characters--the first three letters indicate the type of permit (case type); click for a list of case types. The next two numbers indicate the calendar year of application. The last five numbers are assigned sequentially and indicate the number of cases for that case type in the calendar year (for example, -00010 is the 10th application of the year for that case type).
• You can enter the case number if you know it, or you can broaden your search by entering a partial case number. For example, to see all sign permits, type SGN in the Case Number field; to see all sign permits applied for in 1999, enter SGN99.
• Please note: some partial submittals will result in very large returns.

Search by Applicant Name

• Completion of the First Name field is optional.
• If a business or company is the applicant, enter the company name in the Last Name field only.
• A complete entry in either field name is not necessary. For example, to find applications or permits submitted by Houdini Construction Company, Inc., an entry of Houdini in the Last Name field will display all cases where the applicant's last name starts with Houdini.

Search with Multiple Search Options

• The case is for a structural permit
• The application was made in 2001.
• The permit applicant is Pahlisch.
• The site address is on Grand Oaks Drive.

This method of searching will be helpful for searches that result in very large returns.

If any of the search criteria is not valid, no records will be found.

Search Results

Once you click the Search button, the results of your search will be displayed in permit number order. A brief summary of the case will be displayed on this screen: the case number, site address, applicant, a brief project description, and the permit status. If you want to review further information on any of the permits listed on that page, click on the permit number (which will be bold and underlined) and additional information will be displayed.

Near the top of that page it will also tell you how many permits were returned with your search, and how many pages there are to look through. To move to the other pages, click on the Prev or Next links.

Detailed Search Results on a Specific Case

After you click on the specific permit that you want to view, you will get a more detailed list of information on that permit. It will again include the site address, applicant name, application date, a brief description of the permit, the project valuation (for structural permits) and the permit status. In addition, you will see all of the activities, conditions and fees associated with each permit.

Note: The results will vary for each individual case; some cases and permits will have many activities or conditions, while other cases might have very few.