Apply for or renew a license
Online: Complete the application online and use your credit card.
Apply or renew
On paper: Download the application, include the nonrefundable fee and send it.
Over the phone: Call Metro at 503-797-1620. Select option 1 for Accounts Receivable, then option 1 again for Contractor's Business License program.
After you apply: Make a copy of your application. As long as you meet all of the licensing requirements, the copy of your completed application or online order confirmation will serve as your temporary license.
You should receive your official license in about two weeks. Metro's license is valid for 12 months from the date issued. You’ll receive a notice inviting you to renew your license prior to the expiration date.
If you have jobs in several cities in the Portland metropolitan area, you can pay for a single license from Metro that lets you conduct business in multiple cities. Metro's license covers all construction trades – both commercial and residential – as well as all landscape contractors.
The Metro license is optional, but it costs less to buy a single license from Metro than a number of licenses from individual cities.
Metro's business license is not a substitute for a business license from the city in which your principal place of business is located, or where dollar limits, as explained below, are exceeded. Also, some cities that honor Metro's license may have additional requirements for contractors doing business there. Please inquire with the local jurisdiction in which you are performing work using Metro's license to determine if there are any additional license requirements.
Where is the Metro license honored?
In these 20 cities: Beaverton, Cornelius, Durham, Fairview, Forest Grove, Gladstone, Gresham, Happy Valley, Hillsboro, King City, Lake Oswego, Milwaukie, Oregon City, Sherwood, Tigard, Troutdale, Tualatin, West Linn, Wilsonville and Wood Village
Metro's license does not cover the city of Portland. To get a business license for work performed in Portland, please contact the City of Portland.
What does the Metro license cost?
The annual fee for Metro's business license is $185 and eliminates the expense of applying for a separate license for work in the 20 cities that honor it.
To qualify for the regional license you must:
- be licensed with the Oregon Construction Contractors Board or the Oregon Landscape Contractors Board, unless proof of exemption is provided;
- have a corresponding city license if your principal place of business is located in any of the 20 cities honoring the Metro license; and
- earn $250,000 or less in gross receipts per year per jurisdiction honoring the Metro license, or hold a city license for any jurisdiction listed in which that dollar limit is exceeded.