Oregon Boiler Code: Licenses, Permits, and Inspections

The Oregon boiler code is the set of state laws and rules — ORS 480.510 to 480.670 and OAR Chapter 918, Division 225 — that govern how boilers and pressure vessels are built, installed, inspected, and operated in the state. The Building Codes Division within the Department of Consumer and Business Services runs the program, and the current technical baseline is the 2024 Oregon Boiler and Pressure Vessel Specialty Code, effective October 1, 2024, which incorporates the 2023 ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code along with several related national standards.¹

What Equipment Is Regulated

The code reaches high-pressure (power) boilers operating above 15 psi, low-pressure steam boilers, hot water heating boilers, and unfired pressure vessels used for compressed air storage, chemical processing, and similar service.² It also covers pressure piping systems: power piping, process piping, refrigeration piping, and building services piping.

Whether a specific vessel is regulated turns on physical characteristics: volume, operating pressure, heat input, and where the equipment sits. A hot water storage tank heated by steam or indirect means is exempt only if it stays below all four of these limits at once: 200,000 BTU per hour of heat input, 210°F water temperature, 120 gallons of capacity, and 150 psi working pressure.³ Cross any one of those thresholds and the vessel needs state certification and periodic inspection.

Equipment That Is Exempt

Several categories fall outside ORS 480.510 to 480.670 entirely, so no state permit or inspection is required:⁴

Boilers and pressure vessels already under federal safety regulations.
Domestic water heaters that stay within the 120-gallon, 210°F, 150 psi, and 200,000 BTU/hr limits and carry an approved pressure relief device. Tankless (instantaneous) water heaters are also exempt.
Pressure vessels holding liquefied petroleum gas under the State Fire Marshal’s jurisdiction, though their construction and repair must still meet boiler code standards.
Air tanks used for braking on freight and passenger vehicles.
Medical sterilizers not exceeding 1.5 cubic feet.
Pressure vessels up to 5 cubic feet operating at no more than 150 psi with an ASME stamp and relief valve. In places of public assembly the size limit drops to 1.5 cubic feet.
Boilers under 15 psi used solely for agricultural purposes (except greenhouses), and farm air tanks.
Boilers and pressure vessels in private residences, though a state boiler inspector may still inspect them.
Pressure vessels operating below 15 psi with a properly set pressure relief device.
Beverage service tanks up to 5 cubic feet, and all portable beverage tanks.

If your equipment does not fit any of those descriptions, treat it as regulated and plan for permits, inspections, and an operating permit.

Adopted Technical Standards and ASME Stamps

Oregon does not write its own engineering standards. The 2024 Oregon Boiler and Pressure Vessel Specialty Code adopts:¹

The 2023 ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code for design, materials, and fabrication.
The 2023 National Board Inspection Code (ANSI/NB 23) for inspection, repair, and alteration of existing equipment.
The ANSI/ASME B31 piping codes: B31.1 (2024) power piping, B31.3 (2022) process piping, B31.5 (2022) refrigeration piping, and B31.9 (2023) building services piping.
2023 NFPA 85 for combustion system hazards.
2021 ASME CSD-1 for controls and safety devices on automatically fired boilers.
2023 ASME PVHO-1 for pressure vessels designed for human occupancy.

Oregon amendments to these standards are published in OAR 918-225-0430, Table 2-B. Any new boiler or pressure vessel installed in Oregon must carry the appropriate ASME certification stamp: an “S” stamp for power boilers, an “H” stamp for heating boilers, and a “U” stamp for unfired pressure vessels.⁵ Equipment without the correct stamp cannot legally be installed in the state. Structural repairs and alterations to existing equipment must comply with the National Board Inspection Code.¹

Licenses You Need

Contractor and Employee Licenses

Anyone in the business of installing, repairing, or altering boilers or pressure vessels needs a boiler contractor license from the Department of Consumer and Business Services. Individual employees or agents doing the work under a licensed business need their own employee or agent license. The annual fee is $165 for a contractor license and $27.50 for an employee or agent license.⁶ No work can begin without an installation permit, and permits go only to holders of a valid contractor license.

One narrow exception exists. An out-of-state specialist brought in for a unique repair requiring special tools or processes may work without an Oregon license, but only on that specific task and only after notifying the chief boiler inspector. The specialist’s qualifications must meet or exceed Oregon’s standards.

Inspector Certificates of Competency

The chief boiler inspector, deputy inspectors, and special inspectors employed by insurance companies or pressure vessel operators must pass a written examination and hold a Certificate of Competency.⁷ An inspector already certified in another state may qualify if that state’s standards match Oregon’s and it recognizes Oregon certificates in return. Special inspectors can conduct shop inspections of equipment manufactured or to be installed in Oregon, and they perform the required installation and operating inspections on equipment their employer insures or operates.⁸

Installation Permits

Before any regulated boiler or pressure vessel is installed, the contractor must obtain an installation permit from the Building Codes Division.⁶ The application requires the Manufacturer’s Data Report — the ASME form documenting that the equipment was fabricated to code. For most boiler types other than watertube and electric, that form is ASME Form P-2.⁹

When a special inspector handles the installation inspection, the installation permit fee is $40.¹⁰ Fees for installations inspected by state inspectors are set under ORS 480.595 and vary by equipment type and size. Applications go through the Oregon ePermitting portal or by mail to the Building Codes Division.¹¹

Inspection Intervals

Installation is not the end of inspection obligations. Every regulated boiler and pressure vessel must be reinspected on a set cycle, and the intervals vary by equipment type:¹²

Power boilers: internal and external every year.
Cast iron boilers: external every two years.
Low-pressure steam boilers: internal and external every two years.
Hot water heating and supply boilers: external every two years, internal every six years.
Anhydrous ammonia vessels for fertilizer use: external every three years.
Fixed air vessels up to 20 cubic feet and 200 psi (not in public assembly): internal and external every six years.
CO₂ and hydro-pneumatic beverage vessels up to 20 cubic feet and 300 psi: internal and external every six years.
Vessels subject to internal corrosion: internal and external every two years.
Vessels not subject to internal corrosion: external every four years, tightening to every two years if they contain substances that could cause serious harm if leaked or are located in a place of public assembly.

A state boiler inspector or a special inspector holding a Certificate of Competency (employed by the insurer covering the equipment) can perform these inspections.¹³ Missing a scheduled inspection can invalidate the operating permit.

Operating Permits

No one may operate a regulated boiler or pressure vessel without a valid operating permit or temporary operation authorization.¹⁴ After a successful installation inspection, the inspector completes a registration that starts the operating permit process.¹¹

The permit must be attached to the equipment or posted in a conspicuous spot in the room where it operates. The property owner, the lessee, and anyone who manages or supervises the space can each be held accountable if the permit is not displayed.

Maximum annual operating permit fees for equipment inspected by state inspectors are:¹⁴

Power boilers, any horsepower: $110 per year.
Other boilers, any horsepower: $55 per year.
Cast iron boilers: $55 per year.
Pressure vessels: $50 per year.

When a special inspector performs the inspection, both the installation and operating permit fees drop to $40 each.¹⁰ For multiple boilers or pressure vessels at the same location, each operating permit costs $75.

Operator Duties While a Boiler Is Running

A trained person must be assigned responsibility for every boiler while it operates, and that person has to stay close enough to react in time. The equipment cannot be left unattended longer than the “response time,” defined as how long it would take for the water level to drop from normal operating level to the minimum safe level with the boiler firing at full capacity and feedwater shut off.

Every boiler must carry an alarm that activates at the lowest safe water level or highest safe operating temperature, audible to the responsible person throughout operation. At least one low-water control device must shut the boiler down automatically and require a manual reset before restart. Solid-fuel boilers that do not burn fuel in suspension need approved fuel and water controls plus a way to cut heat input if feedwater fails.

What Happens When an Inspector Finds a Violation

For a defective condition that is not an immediate danger, the owner receives a written notice and has 30 days to correct the problem. If repairs are underway and need more time, the owner can request an extension from the chief boiler inspector.¹⁵

Immediate hazards are treated differently. If an inspector finds a direct threat to health or safety, the notice prohibits any further use of the boiler or pressure vessel, effective immediately, and the inspector reports the action to the chief boiler inspector. The equipment stays offline until the hazard is resolved. Under ORS 480.670 the state can also assess civil penalties, and the department can revoke operating permits for equipment found in violation of minimum safety standards.

1
State of Oregon. Oregon Boiler and Pressure Vessel Specialty Code Adoption
2
Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services. Boilers and Pressure Vessel Code Program
3
Oregon Public Law. Oregon Administrative Rule 918-225-0350 – Exemptions for Hot Water Storage Tanks
4
Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 480.525 – Exempt Vessels; Rules; Fee
5
ASME. Boiler and Pressure Vessel Certification
6
Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 480.630 – Licensing of Boiler Contractors and Persons Installing, Altering or Repairing Boilers or Pressure Vessels
7
Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 480.565 – Chief and Deputy Inspectors
8
Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 480.570 – Inspections by Special Inspectors or Others
9
ASME. Form P-2 Manufacturers Data Report for All Types of Boilers Except Watertube and Electric
10
Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 480.600 – Special Provisions on Permit and Inspection Fees
11
State of Oregon. Boiler and Pressure Vessel Services
12
Legal Information Institute. Oregon Administrative Code 918-225-0570 – Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspection Intervals
13
State of Oregon. Boiler and Pressure Vessel Services – Section: Installation Permits
14
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 480
15
Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 480.660 – Notice of Violation; Correction; When Use Prohibited