Contractors doing work in the city of Lebanon can now buy permits more quickly and easily using the state's "Quick Permits" e-permitting website at BuildingPermits.Oregon. gov.

Lebanon began selling over-the-counter, non-plan review plumbing and mechanical permits to contractors on the site on Aug. 15, making Lebanon the first building department in Linn County and the 22nd building department in the state to offer QuickPermit services.

"The city of Lebanon Building Division is excited about being part of the Quick Permits Program," said Walt Wendolowski, the community

development manager for Lebanon. "We see this as an opportunity to improve customer service and increase our efficiency as an organization, ultimately reducing costs and saving taxpayer money."

The Department of Consumer and Business Services' Building Codes Division hosts the Quick Permits e-permitting site, which makes simple permits available at any hour of the day, from any computer connected to the Internet. Contractors can apply and pay for multiple permits from multiple jurisdictions in one transaction.

Within minutes of completing the permit purchase on the webite, the contractor can print an "Authorization to Begin Work," post it at the work site, and then get started on the project. This service saves contractors time and money by making the purchase of simple, over-the-counter permits easily available from home or office.

The e-permitting program is part of Gov. Kulongoski's regulatory streamlining initiative. The Governor signed House Bill 2405 into law in March 2007. The law expands Quick Permits to create the nation's first comprehensive statewide e-building permit program, and allows contractors to conduct more building department activity, such as receiving plan approval and scheduling inspections online, morning, noon, and night with any city or county in Oregon that participates.