Caterer permits in Portland, Oregon

The city and county permits, taxes, and inspections a caterer needs in Portland (Multnomah County), on top of the statewide Oregon and federal credentials covered on their own pages.

Local fees$970 a year for the county kitchen license, plus the City and county income taxes; a new kitchen adds a $1,185 to $1,265 plan review and valuation-based permits, while renting a licensed commissary avoids most of it; alcohol adds the $75 City recommendationCountyMultnomah County

This page covers only the Portland city and county permits for caterers. The statewide Oregon credentials and the federal credentials every caterer needs are on their own pages.

All Oregon requirementsCaterers in Oregon Federal requirementsEvery caterer nationwide

What you need to run a caterer in Portland

Credential	Level	Fee	Renewal
Multnomah County Food Service Facility License (your base kitchen)	County	$970 a year for a kitchen with no public seats (the 0 to 15 seat restaurant tier, 2026 rate), plus a one-time plan review of $1,185 to $1,265 to build or remodel	Annual (due January 1)
Multnomah County Temporary Restaurant License (only when you serve the public)	County	$210 per license (single event, 30-day intermittent, or 90-day seasonal), plus a $140 operational plan review for the intermittent and seasonal types; a $100 late fee applies	Per event or per period
Multnomah County Business Income Tax	County	2% of net income ($100 minimum per year)	Annual return (filed with the City tax)
City of Portland Business License Tax Registration	City	Free to register, then 2.6% of net income ($100 minimum per year)	Annual return (due April 15); registration is ongoing
City of Portland Local Government Recommendation for the OLCC Caterer License	City	$75 for a new outlet ($100 for some application types)	Once per new license; renewals run through the OLCC
Commercial Kitchen Build-Out Permit and Certificate of Occupancy	City	Valuation-based, plus a 12% state surcharge; a Type 1 cooking hood adds a Portland Fire and Rescue suppression-system permit	One-time per project; the Certificate of Occupancy stands until the use changes
Grease Interceptor and FOG Compliance	City	No standalone permit fee; the interceptor is a construction cost, and extra-strength sewer charges apply	Ongoing; report each cleaning to BES within 14 days
Portland Water Bureau Backflow Prevention Assembly	City	No city fee for the requirement; the install needs a plumbing permit, and a certified tester checks it yearly	Annual test by a certified tester, filed with the Water Bureau

A typical caterer in Portland, Oregon needs 19 separate credentials to operate legally, and that is for one location. Federal, statewide, and local Portland requirements all stack on the same caterer, each with its own renewal date, fee, and issuing agency.

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Each caterer credential in Portland, explained

Grouped by the level of government that issues it, county then city. Every credential here is specific to operating a caterer in Portland, Oregon.

County level

3 credentials

Multnomah County Food Service Facility License (your base kitchen)

Multnomah County licenses a caterer through its base kitchen, not a storefront, and because there is no separate caterer category it uses the restaurant schedule. A kitchen with no public seating sits in the lowest, 0 to 15 seat tier at $970 a year. Building or remodeling that kitchen first triggers a one-time plan review. A caterer renting time in an already-licensed commissary works under that facility's license instead of holding its own, so confirm the arrangement with the county.

Issued by: Multnomah County Environmental Health
Fee: $970 a year for a kitchen with no public seats (the 0 to 15 seat restaurant tier, 2026 rate), plus a one-time plan review of $1,185 to $1,265 to build or remodel
Renewal: Annual (due January 1)
Processing: Plan review, then a pre-opening inspection; allow a few weeks after plans clear

Multnomah County Temporary Restaurant License (only when you serve the public)

Your base kitchen license covers private, contracted jobs like weddings and corporate dinners. The line is the public: the moment you sell or serve to the general public at a festival, fair, or market, that booth is a temporary restaurant and needs its own county license. The fee is flat across the single-event, 30-day, and 90-day types, and the county inspects the booth on the first day.

Issued by: Multnomah County Environmental Health
Fee: $210 per license (single event, 30-day intermittent, or 90-day seasonal), plus a $140 operational plan review for the intermittent and seasonal types; a $100 late fee applies
Renewal: Per event or per period
Processing: Apply at least 2 weeks ahead; pay at least 2 business days before the event

Multnomah County Business Income Tax

A catering company doing business in Portland owes the county 2% of its net income, filed jointly with the 2.6% City tax on a single Revenue Division return. The tax follows where the business operates, not where each event is held, and a caterer grossing under $100,000 is exempt but still files.

Issued by: City of Portland Revenue Division (jointly administered)
Fee: 2% of net income ($100 minimum per year)
Renewal: Annual return (filed with the City tax)
Processing: Same combined registration as the City tax

City level

5 credentials

City of Portland Business License Tax Registration

A caterer registers one free Revenue Division account within 60 days of starting work in Portland, the same filing that covers the county tax. The City Business License Tax is 2.6% of net income with a $100 minimum. For 2026 a caterer grossing under $75,000 is exempt (the threshold rises to $100,000 in 2027), but the return is still required.

Issued by: City of Portland Revenue Division
Fee: Free to register, then 2.6% of net income ($100 minimum per year)
Renewal: Annual return (due April 15); registration is ongoing
Processing: Immediate online via Portland Revenue Online

City of Portland Local Government Recommendation for the OLCC Caterer License

Before the OLCC will issue your Full On-Premises (Caterer) license, the City must send it a written recommendation. You file through Portland Permitting and Development, which routes the application to the Police Bureau for review and runs a public comment period. Only a caterer that serves alcohol needs it, and because the 45-day City step comes before the OLCC even opens its file, treat the two as sequential, not parallel.

Issued by: Portland Permitting and Development (Liquor Program) and Portland Police Bureau
Fee: $75 for a new outlet ($100 for some application types)
Renewal: Once per new license; renewals run through the OLCC
Processing: About 45 days, then the OLCC investigation on top

Commercial Kitchen Build-Out Permit and Certificate of Occupancy

Outfitting a commercial space as your catering kitchen needs building, mechanical, plumbing, and electrical permits, and a Certificate of Occupancy before you cook for hire. A kitchen that produces grease-laden vapor also needs a Type 1 hood with a fixed suppression system, permitted through Portland Fire and Rescue. A caterer leasing a kitchen that was already built out and licensed inherits these and pulls new permits only for changes.

Issued by: Portland Permitting and Development
Fee: Valuation-based, plus a 12% state surcharge; a Type 1 cooking hood adds a Portland Fire and Rescue suppression-system permit
Renewal: One-time per project; the Certificate of Occupancy stands until the use changes
Processing: 4 to 12 weeks of plan review, depending on the work

Grease Interceptor and FOG Compliance

A catering kitchen that can send fats, oil, or grease down the drain must install and maintain a grease interceptor under BES rules, triggered by new construction, a tenant improvement, or a change of ownership or occupancy. BES also bills elevated sewer charges that ease once a compliant interceptor is maintained. A caterer taking over an already-equipped licensed kitchen inherits the interceptor.

Issued by: City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services (BES)
Fee: No standalone permit fee; the interceptor is a construction cost, and extra-strength sewer charges apply
Renewal: Ongoing; report each cleaning to BES within 14 days
Processing: Reviewed with the plumbing and building permits

Portland Water Bureau Backflow Prevention Assembly

Kitchen equipment plumbed to the water supply, such as a dishwasher, combi oven, or prep sink, creates a cross-connection, so the Water Bureau requires a backflow prevention assembly before it signs off on occupancy. It is tested at install and every year after by a certified tester. A caterer renting an existing licensed kitchen inherits the assembly already in place.

Issued by: Portland Water Bureau, Cross-Connection Control
Fee: No city fee for the requirement; the install needs a plumbing permit, and a certified tester checks it yearly
Renewal: Annual test by a certified tester, filed with the Water Bureau
Processing: Reviewed before the building permit; tested before occupancy

See how other caterers in Portland are managing every permit, license, and renewal in one place with CredentiAlert.

Portland-specific things to watch for

1The county license attaches to your kitchen, not a dining room. A catering kitchen with zero public seats is still priced on the restaurant schedule, at the lowest 0 to 15 seat tier ($970 a year in 2026). There is no separate caterer category and no further discount for having no seats, so the kitchen itself is what the county licenses and inspects.

2Renting a licensed commissary can erase most of the local cost. A caterer operating under a shared kitchen that already holds a county license skips the $1,185 to $1,265 plan review and pulls no new building, fire, grease, or backflow permits, because the facility already has them. Confirm the arrangement in writing with Multnomah County Environmental Health before counting on it.

3Private events ride your base license; public events do not. A contracted wedding, corporate dinner, or private party runs under your kitchen license with nothing extra. Serving the general public at a festival, fair, or market makes that booth a temporary restaurant needing its own $210 county license, applied for at least two weeks ahead.

4The City liquor recommendation is a 45-day gate before the OLCC even starts. A caterer who wants to pour alcohol applies to Portland Permitting and Development first, waits about 45 days for the written recommendation, and only then can the OLCC open its own investigation on the Full On-Premises (Caterer) license. Treating the two as parallel is the usual cause of a blown opening date.

5The business taxes are net-income taxes with two different exemption lines. Portland charges 2.6% and the county 2% on profit, filed jointly with a $100 minimum each. For 2026 the City exempts gross receipts under $75,000 and the county under $100,000, so a caterer in between owes the City tax but not the county tax, and an exempt caterer still files.

How long does it take?

A caterer renting an already-licensed commissary can be working within 2 to 6 weeks, limited mainly by the county confirming the kitchen arrangement and the quick business tax registration. Building out your own kitchen is the long pole at 3 to 6 months, driven by the county and City plan reviews running in parallel and the buildout itself. Serving alcohol adds about 45 days for the City liquor recommendation, then the OLCC investigation on top.

Frequently asked questions

How much is a catering kitchen license in Portland?

Multnomah County licenses a caterer through its base kitchen on the restaurant fee schedule, and a kitchen with no public seats falls in the lowest 0 to 15 seat tier at $970 a year (2026 rate). Building or remodeling that kitchen first costs a one-time plan review of $1,185 for a remodel or $1,265 for new construction. If you rent space in an already-licensed shared kitchen, you may operate under that facility license and avoid these fees.

Do I need a commissary to cater in Portland?

You need a licensed commercial kitchen, but you do not have to own one. You can license your own kitchen through Multnomah County Environmental Health, which means passing plan review and the building, fire, and plumbing permits, or you can rent time in a commissary or commercial kitchen that the county already licenses and operate under its license. You document the shared-kitchen arrangement with the county. Renting is the faster and cheaper way to launch.

Do I need a permit to cater a public event in Portland?

It depends who you serve. A private, contracted event such as a wedding or corporate dinner runs under your base kitchen license with no extra permit. Serving the general public at a Portland festival, fair, or market makes that booth a temporary restaurant, which needs a Multnomah County temporary restaurant license at $210 per event, applied for at least two weeks ahead.

Do I need a City of Portland liquor license to serve wine at catered events?

The license itself is a state OLCC Full On-Premises (Caterer) license, not a City license, but the City gates it. Before the OLCC will act, Portland Permitting and Development must issue a written local government recommendation, which costs $75 to $100 and takes about 45 days, including a Police Bureau review. Only after that does the OLCC begin its own investigation, so budget several months for alcohol service.

Official sources

Last verified 2026-06-04. Requirements change. Always confirm with the issuing department before applying.