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Builder and remodeler in Ashland, OR

Building and remodeling in Ashland

Ben The Builder Inc is based in Ashland, and most of our work is here. We have built and remodeled homes here since 2011. We handle the permits, the planning review and the historic review, so nothing is required of you at the city.

Our work in Ashland

Permits

Ashland’s Building and Planning Divisions are in Community Development at 51 Winburn Way, 541-488-5305, Monday to Friday, 8 am to 4:30 pm (city website, October 2026). The city runs its own plan review and inspections.

  • Small jobs, such as minor remodels, decks and retaining walls, can use the city’s Express permit, typically issued within 72 hours.
  • A planning action reviewed by staff with notice to neighbors (Type I) takes about 30 to 45 days. One that goes to the Planning Commission (Type II) takes at least 75 to 90 days.
  • Plan review is 65% of the building permit fee, plus a 12% state surcharge. The city also charges a Community Development Fee of 1.2% and an Engineering Development Fee of 0.75% of the value of new construction (fee schedules effective July 1, 2026).

Permit fees are part of our construction price.

System development charges

New homes and ADUs pay one-time city charges for water, sewer, storm drains, transportation and parks. Under the schedule effective July 1, 2026:

  • A 2,000 square foot new home pays about $17,400, plus a storm charge of $0.20 per square foot of roof and paving.
  • A 450 square foot ADU pays about $5,200, plus storm. Units under 500 square feet get a 50% discount, and 500 to 800 square feet get 25%.
  • School construction excise tax is $1.07 per square foot, capped at $25,000 per permit.

ADUs and duplexes

Ashland calls an ADU an accessory residential unit. One is allowed per lot in the residential zones, with only a building permit and no planning action. In single-family zones it can be up to half the size of the house, to a maximum of 1,000 square feet. In R-2 and R-3 zones the maximum is 500 square feet, and in North Mountain zones 750.

The city does not require you to live on the property, and it has removed minimum parking requirements citywide. ADUs cannot be rented for less than 30 days in single-family zones. The city offers seven pre-approved ADU plans, from a 364 square foot studio to an 812 square foot two-bedroom.

Under Oregon law, Ashland must allow a duplex on every residential lot. Our ADU cost guide covers what an ADU costs to build.

Wildfire

All of Ashland has been in the city’s Wildfire Hazard Zone since 2018, and the city has adopted Oregon’s wildfire building code (ORSC R327). New homes, additions and full replacements of a roof or siding are built with Class B or better roofing, ember-resistant vents, fire-resistant siding and eaves, tempered glass, and fire-rated decking on decks 30 inches to 12 feet off the ground. Projects that add 200 square feet or more also need a fuel modification area, where burnable plants are thinned or cleared, in place before building materials arrive.

Historic districts

Ashland has four National Register historic districts: Railroad, Downtown, Siskiyou-Hargadine and Skidmore Academy. Exterior work that needs a building permit, and new construction, is reviewed for fit with the district. Interior changes and paint colors are not. Buildings in the historic overlay are limited to 30 feet in height. Additions should step back from the street and match the roof pitch of the house.

A large remodel that keeps less than 60% of the exterior walls, or less than half the front, counts as a demolition anywhere in Ashland, which changes the approval path. We check this early.

Hillsides and trees

On Hillside Lands, removing a tree takes a Physical Constraints Review Permit ($1,349.60). Elsewhere, on a lot with one house in a single-family zone and smaller than twice the zone’s minimum lot size, most trees can come down without a permit. A tree removal permit, where one is needed, is $102.60 (fees effective July 1, 2026).

Talk with us

Ask what your project would cost

Fill out the contact form; we get it right away and respond within a day. You can also call the office at 541-300-8118, Monday to Friday, 7 am to 3:30 pm, or email office@benthebuilderinc.com.