Established by a County Ordinance; all driveways, roads or fire apparatus access routes of lengths greater than 150 feet shall be inspected by a fire district in their respective response areas (Fire District or Ambulance Service Area). This ordinance was established with collaboration with the Columbia County Fire Defense Board in the 1990's. All fire agencies in the county have adopted the same standard. 

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The standards can be viewed by clicking this link: Apparatus Access Standards

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If you are replacing a home or building a new home, you will be required to complete the driveway inspection process in 2 parts.

• Initial inspection to obtain a building permit

• ​Final Inspection to obtain a certificate of occupancy from the county or ​city (If you are in a city)

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The Three documents below are required in order for you to complete the process. 

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1. FM-D1 is the Access and Water Supply Form

   • This form is required at the planning stage of a project to determine if there is an access or a water supply challenge for the respective property. This form has to be completed by the fire agency that serves your property. This is accordance with OAR 918-480-0125(4)​

   • If your project has completed the planning stage and you have not completed this form, it will be required as part of the building permit submittal.

2. FM-D2 is the Driveway Check Sheet

   • In order for the fire district to evaluate your project, all paperwork must be submitted and the self assessment check sheet must be completed as required by Oregon Fire Code 501.3 ​

   • IF the paperwork is incomplete, everything will be returned or remain in a project cue until it is completed.

3. FM-D3 is the Driveway Inspection Form (Used by the inspectors)

   • This is the form that the county or city will require ​in order for the project to receive an address or a certificate of occupancy. Before you can legally reside on your property, a certificate of occupancy is generally required.