Business and jobs
Council decisions about business and jobs: 26 decisions. Map ›
October 2026
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Higher permit fee and one permit type for secondhand dealers
Secondhand dealers, such as pawn shops, music stores, sporting goods shops and jewelry buyers, need a city permit, which the city uses to help keep stolen goods from being sold. This change sets the yearly permit fee at $450, ties it to inflation each year, and ends the cheaper "occasional" dealer category. It also spells out what a permit application must include, both for a new permit and for each yearly renewal.
City of Portland · October 21, 2026 · Passed with changes, 12 to 0.
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City plans a savings cushion for swings in business tax money
This law would move the City's financial planning rules into City Code. It would also create a new savings fund for the Business License Tax, a tax on businesses that makes up close to 30 percent of the City's main general budget. That tax money rises and falls a lot from year to year, and the savings fund is meant to cover those swings.
City of Portland · October 21, 2026 · Passed to second reading. No final vote yet.
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Council weighs zoning changes to add housing and businesses downtown
This plan changes zoning rules in the Central City, which covers downtown and nearby areas, to make it easier to build housing and help businesses recover after the pandemic. It would let some industrial land hold homes and shops, allow taller buildings, and allow more kinds of businesses, including food carts. Food cart rule changes would apply across the city where food carts are allowed.
City of Portland · October 14, 2026 · Continued. Spoken testimony is closed. Written testimony is accepted until October 15, 2026 at 4:00 pm, and the item returns to council then. · District 2, District 3, District 4
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City raises yearly permit fee for payday lenders to match inflation
Payday lenders, businesses that make small short-term loans, must get a yearly city permit. This raises that permit fee by about 60%, the first increase since the program began in 2006. The fee will also rise each year with inflation.
City of Portland · October 14, 2026 · Passed, 10 to 0, with 2 councilors absent. · District 2, District 4
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New rules for private pay parking lots: better signs, photo proof for tickets
This changes city rules for privately run parking lots, including lots where you pay and park. Lots must post clearer signs about their rules, and operators must take photos when they issue a parking penalty notice. It also raises the one-time permit application fee for lot operators to match inflation and adds a yearly inflation adjustment.
City of Portland · October 14, 2026 · Passed, 10 to 0, with 2 councilors absent. · District 4
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City raises poker room permit fee, first update since 1974
Places that host social games, mostly poker rooms, need a city permit. This raises the yearly permit fee to catch up with inflation and adds an automatic inflation increase each year. Permit holders must also follow the city's business license and tax rules to get and keep a permit.
City of Portland · October 14, 2026 · Passed, 10 to 0, with 2 councilors absent.
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City ends permit rule for pinball machines, pool tables and similar games
Businesses with amusement devices like pinball machines and pool tables will no longer need a yearly city permit or pay its fees. The rule dates to about 1929, and the city's Revenue Division found it is no longer needed. The program closes on December 31, 2026.
City of Portland · October 14, 2026 · Passed, 10 to 0, with 2 councilors absent.
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Secondhand dealer permit fees rise to $450, occasional category ends
This changes city rules for secondhand dealers, such as pawn shops, music stores, sporting goods shops and jewelry buyers. It raises the yearly permit application fee to $450, ties it to inflation each year, and ends the cheaper "occasional" dealer category so all dealers get one permit type. It also spells out what a permit application must include and requires an application with a fee both for a new permit and at each yearly renewal.
City of Portland · October 14, 2026 · Moved forward to a second reading with changes. No vote count was given.
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City starts process to consider pausing commercial drone facility construction
State law says the city must warn a state land-use agency 45 days before it can adopt a moratorium, which is a temporary ban on building. This vote tells the City Attorney to send that notice about facilities that support commercial drones. It does not create a ban or change any building rules; it also lets the Council President handle related paperwork and legal steps, but not decide on the ban.
City of Portland · October 14, 2026 · Passed, 11 to 0. One councilor was absent.
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Council delays vote on Central City zoning changes for housing and business
This would change zoning rules in Portland's Central City to make it easier to build housing and help businesses recover after the pandemic. It would rezone some industrial land to allow homes, shops and offices, raise building height limits and allow unlimited height in some areas. It would also ease rules for food carts citywide, allow more uses in Waterfront Park, and allow temporary surface parking lots during redevelopment.
City of Portland · October 14, 2026 · Rescheduled to October 29, 2026, at 2:30 pm. Public testimony, spoken and written, is closed. · District 2, District 3, District 4
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Council weighs rule to cut fuel storage in quake-risk Northwest Portland area
This proposed law would require the 11 large fuel terminals in a six-mile area along the Willamette River in northwest Portland to cut their fuel storage space by at least 20 percent by December 1, 2036. The area, called the Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Hub, holds or moves more than 90 percent of Oregon's liquid fuel and sits on soil that could turn loose in a major earthquake, which could make tanks fail and spill fuel. Terminals would have to report how much they store, and tanks used only for jet fuel, regulated utilities like NW Natural, and certain pipeline tanks would be exempt.
City of Portland · October 7, 2026 · Council made two changes and delayed a final vote. The change called Novick 4 passed 8 to 4. The change called Kanal 2 passed 10 to 2. Two other proposed changes were withdrawn. The item was continued to November 5, 2026. · District 2, District 3, District 4
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Payday lenders' yearly city permit fee goes up 60 percent
Payday lenders, businesses that make small, short-term loans, must get a yearly city permit. This change raises that permit fee by about 60 percent, the first increase since the program began in 2006. After that, the fee will rise each year with inflation.
City of Portland · October 7, 2026 · Moved forward to a second reading, a required final vote, on October 14, 2026. No vote count was given. · District 2, District 4
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New rules for private pay parking lots: better signs, photo proof for tickets
This changes city rules for private parking lots that charge for parking or ticket people who park without permission. Lots must post clearer signs about their rules, and staff must take photos when they issue a parking penalty notice. The one-time permit application fee for lot operators goes up to match inflation and will rise with inflation every year after.
City of Portland · October 7, 2026 · Moved forward to a second reading. No vote was taken yet. · District 4
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Higher permit fees and new tax rule for Portland poker rooms
This raises the yearly permit fee for businesses that run social games, like poker rooms, to catch up with inflation, since the fee has not changed since 1974. The fee will also rise each year with inflation. Businesses must follow the city's business license and tax rules to get and keep the permit.
City of Portland · October 7, 2026 · Moved forward to a second reading, which is a final vote at a later meeting. No vote count was given.
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City plans to end permits for pinball machines and pool tables
This would end a city rule, dating to about 1929, that makes businesses get a yearly permit for amusement devices like pinball machines and pool tables. The 199 businesses that hold these permits would no longer need to apply each year or pay the fees. The repeal would take effect December 31, 2026.
City of Portland · October 7, 2026 · Moved forward to a second reading, a required later vote before it becomes final. No vote count was given.
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City can now sell ads on streetcar benches and shelters
Until now, city rules let only TriMet sell ads on benches and shelters where people wait for transit. This change lets the City, which owns the Portland Streetcar, also sell ads on streetcar benches and shelters. The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) plans to run the next streetcar ad contract.
City of Portland · October 7, 2026 · Passed, 12 to 0.
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City updates fire permit and inspection fees to cover more costs
This updates the fees Portland Fire & Rescue charges for permits, inspections, plan reviews and other fire safety services. Some fees go up so they better match what the services actually cost, and less money comes from the city's main tax-funded budget (the General Fund). It removes the fee for selling or storing fireworks, since fireworks are banned, and adds new fees for fire system testing and maintenance and for a yearly laser display permit.
City of Portland · October 7, 2026 · Passed with changes, 9 to 2. One member was absent.
September 2026
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City may sell ads on Portland Streetcar benches and shelters
Right now, city rules let only TriMet put ads on benches and shelters where people wait for transit. This change would let the City, which owns the Portland Streetcar, sell ads on streetcar benches and shelters too. The city's transportation bureau (PBOT) plans to take over the streetcar ad contract when the current one ends on November 11, 2026.
City of Portland · September 30, 2026 · Moved forward to a second reading, which is a required second council vote before it becomes law. No vote count was given.
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City updates fire permit and inspection fees to cover more costs
This updates the fees Portland Fire & Rescue charges for permits, inspections, plan reviews and other fire safety services. Some fees go up so they match what the services actually cost, which means less tax money from the city's main budget (the General Fund) pays for them. It removes the fee for selling or storing fireworks, since fireworks were banned in 2022, and adds new fees for fire system inspection and testing and for a yearly laser display permit.
City of Portland · September 30, 2026 · Moved forward to a second vote, with changes. No vote count was given.
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Council changes fuel tank cutback rules, delays final vote to October 7
This proposed law would require the 11 large fuel storage sites in northwest Portland's Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub to cut their storage capacity by at least 20 percent by December 1, 2036. The area sits on soil that could turn loose in a major earthquake, so tanks could fail and spill fuel. Fuel sites would have to report what they store, and they could face fines for breaking the rules.
City of Portland · September 30, 2026 · Not final yet. Council added four changes, 10 to 2: a direction to study other approaches, inventory and reporting rules, penalties, and continued talks with the public and industry. A change to remove the exemption for airplane fuel tanks failed on a 6 to 6 tie. Another proposed change from Councilor Novick was offered but not voted on. The item was continued to October 7, 2026. · District 2, District 3, District 4
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Council lets new owner take over Zenith's fuel pipeline permit
Zenith Energy is selling its Portland fuel terminal to ISQ Springer Holdings. This ordinance lets Zenith hand over its franchise, the city permission to run a petroleum and renewable fuel pipeline under a limited part of city streets, to the buyer. The terms stay the same, and ISQ must follow all the same duties, including insurance and bonds.
City of Portland · September 23, 2026 · Passed after a reconsideration vote. The council tied 6 to 6, and Mayor Wilson cast the deciding yes vote, making it 7 to 6.
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Portland updates its fire safety rules to match new state code
This updates Portland's fire safety rules to follow the 2025 Oregon Fire Code, which is based on the 2024 International Fire Code. Portland runs its own fire rules, so the city must adopt the state code itself, with some local changes and clearer wording. Because it is an emergency ordinance, it takes effect right away instead of after the usual waiting period.
City of Portland · September 23, 2026 · Passed with a technical amendment, 12 to 0.
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City may allow ads on Portland Streetcar benches and shelters
Right now, city code lets only TriMet sell ads on benches and shelters where people wait for transit. This change would let the City, through the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), also sell ads on the benches and shelters it owns for the Portland Streetcar. PBOT plans to take over the streetcar ad contract when the current one ends in November 2026.
City of Portland · September 23, 2026 · Rescheduled to a later meeting at the September 23, 2026 meeting. The linked document is marked as passed, but no vote is listed for this meeting.
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Fire department fees for permits and inspections set to rise
This updates the fees Portland Fire & Rescue charges for permits, inspections, plan reviews and other fire safety services so they cover more of the real cost. It drops the permit fee for selling or storing fireworks, since the city banned fireworks in 2022, and adds new fees for fire system inspection, testing and maintenance and for a yearly laser display permit. It does not change fire safety rules.
City of Portland · September 23, 2026 · Rescheduled to a later meeting at this session. City records list the ordinance as passed.
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Council confirms business owner to homelessness oversight committee
Omar K. Salomon joins the committee that sets goals and tracks progress for the homelessness response system run jointly by Portland and Multnomah County. He fills the seat for a business sector representative, which has no vote. He owns XoCOTL, a juice and smoothie bar, and once worked for the Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber.
City of Portland · September 16, 2026 · Confirmed, 11 to 0, with 1 member absent. · District 1, District 3
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Council rejects transfer of fuel pipeline permit to Zenith's buyer
Zenith Energy is selling its Portland fuel terminal to ISQ Springer Holdings. Zenith holds a franchise, which is city permission to run a petroleum pipeline under a limited part of city streets. This ordinance would have let the new owner take over that franchise with the same terms, fees and duties.
City of Portland · September 16, 2026 · Failed, 5 to 6, with one member absent. A motion to reconsider the vote is still pending. The council voted 8 to 4 to put off the vote on reconsidering until next week.