Eugene offers free prepermit consultations for builders and property owners
Eugene is urging owners and builders to talk to planners before filing. The free virtual meetings can flag code issues, redesigns and delays before a permit packet is locked in.
Free Project Consultations are available through Eugene’s Building and Permit Services before permit applications are filed. Property owners, architects, developers and design teams can use them to catch code issues, redesigns and timeline problems before plans are locked in. The virtual meetings connect applicants with staff from Planning, Land Use, Public Works, Building, Fire and Engineering.
The consultations can be scheduled through eBuild from 14 to 90 days in advance, and the city asks for at least two weeks’ notice so staff can review the site and prepare. To book one, applicants create an eBuild account, choose Project Consultation, open the calendar and select a time. They also need to submit a project description, questions they want answered and site documents such as a site plan or aerial view.
Some projects, including phased developments and multi-structure projects on one site, must complete a consultation before a permit application can be submitted. For middle housing projects, the city strongly encourages the meetings because the rules are detailed and some code updates are still in progress.
Middle housing is allowed in all residentially zoned areas that currently allow single-unit homes, a change tied to Oregon’s HB 2001, passed in June 2019. Eugene adopted its Housing Implementation Pipeline on January 24, 2022, and its current planning work includes Urban Growth Strategies, which lines up land, policy and tools for housing and living-wage jobs over the next 20 years.
The city issued permits for 6,935 applications in 2025 and expects nearly three times more affordable housing units to be under construction in 2026 than in 2025, a 172% increase. Eugene’s Planning Commission also held a virtual public hearing on the first Urban Growth Strategies adoption package on June 23, 2026, with testimony extended to June 30 at 5 p.m.
All building permit applications must be submitted electronically through eBuild, its web-based system for applications, construction drawings, fees and contractor information. Anyone who needs to apply for a building permit can create an account, even if they are not a builder or contractor. Materials submitted for a Project Consultation become public record, and the notification includes the applicant, project description and project location for interested parties.
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