Bethany, OR

Commercial, industrial and institutional development in unincorporated Washington County must provide off-street drop-off and loading spaces under Community Development Code Sections…

Washington County's Community Development Code does not mandate electric vehicle charging spaces, but Section 413-3.6 sets installation standards for any that are provided, allowing…

In unincorporated Washington County, Section 413-4.5 requires driveways under 100 feet long for detached dwellings, and all townhouse driveways, to be paved, sets a minimum 10-foot…

Washington County Code Chapter 8.16 hands sheriff's deputies towing authority on top of ORS Chapter 819, but it deliberately builds no county tow board and no county rate schedule…

In unincorporated Washington County inside the Metro Urban Growth Boundary, you cannot live or sleep in a parked vehicle on a public street, and a resident's RV can sit on the street…

Within the Enhanced Sheriff's Patrol District, the unincorporated pockets of Washington County outside Hillsboro, Beaverton, Tigard and the county's other cities, an RV can't sit on a…

Owners of dwellings and structures in the EFC forest zone must maintain a 30-foot fuel-free primary fire break around the building, plus an additional 100-foot fuel-free secondary…

New dwellings and structures in the EFC (Exclusive Forest and Conservation) District must meet strict forest structure siting and fire safety standards designed to minimize wildfire…

No one may open-burn yard debris on single- or multi-family property in unincorporated Washington County's Metro-boundary area at any time of year unless the Department of Health and…

Washington County's Air Quality Ordinance exempts recreational fires, fire pits, chimineas and patio fireplaces no larger than 3 feet across and 2 feet tall, from its year-round…

Washington County Code § 8.24.040(H) doesn't set leaf-blower hours: it requires every blower or power fan to be 'properly muffled' with a muffler device sufficient to reduce noise, at…

Amplified sound in unincorporated Washington County is regulated under the county noise ordinance and ORS 467, with outdoor amplification at public venues and events requiring a…

In unincorporated Washington County land near Stark's Twin Oaks Airpark, the Public Use Airport Safety and Compatibility Overlay District requires noise-sensitive buildings (homes…

Washington County Code § 8.24.040(A), (C) and (E) bar unnecessary horn use, exhaust brakes except for emergency stops, and any vehicle exhaust discharged without an effective muffler…

Piledrivers, pneumatic hammers, hoists and other heavy equipment can't run between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. in unincorporated Washington County, and construction, demolition or excavation is…

Washington County Code 6.04.260 defines 'continuous annoyance' as repeated barking, whining, screeching, or howling from a dog that can be reasonably heard beyond the property line…

From 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., Washington County Code § 8.24.040(B) and (D) bar plainly audible radios, TVs, stereos and loudspeakers, plus yelling, shouting or singing on public streets. The…

Washington County bars construction, excavation, demolition and repair work between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. on weekdays, from 7 p.m. Saturday through 7 a.m. Monday, and on legal holidays…

Removing trees on unincorporated Washington County land triggers Community Development Code Section 407-3, which applies to all tree removal unless a listed exemption fits, routes…

Uncontrolled weeds, brush or grass on unincorporated property is a declared nuisance under county code: the health department can order it cut within 15 days, and specifically names…

Home-based day care in Washington County's rural AF-10, AF-5 and RR-5 zoning districts is allowed as a Type II use under CDC § 430-53.4, capped at fewer than 16 children including the…

In unincorporated Washington County, a home-based business's daily walk-in customer count is capped by which of three home occupation permit types it holds. A Type I permit allows five…

Washington County requires a home occupation permit, renewed every year, before any home-based business operates in the unincorporated area. The permit tier limits how much of the…

A home-based business in unincorporated Washington County may display exactly one identification sign. In a residential, agricultural, or forest district the sign is capped at 2 square…

A dog or cat adopted from Washington County Animal Services, or from a licensed animal rescue entity in the county, must be spayed or neutered within four months of adoption if too…

Washington County Code does not ban dogs by breed. Instead, WCC 6.04.310 classifies 'dangerous behavior' by what a dog actually does, menacing, biting, or seriously injuring a person…

In unincorporated Washington County's Transit Oriented Districts, a veterinary office without outdoor kennels needs a discretionary Type II land use permit and is only allowed in the…

Any animal rescue entity operating in unincorporated Washington County, including a sanctuary, shelter, humane society or boarding kennel holding ten or more animals and soliciting…

Washington County Code 6.08.030 bans keeping any exotic animal in the unincorporated county, big cats, non-human primates, non-domestic canids, bears other than black bears…

Washington County Code 6.04.230 makes it a Class C civil infraction for any dog owner or keeper to let a dog run at large in the unincorporated county. Companion sections add separate…

A building permit is required in unincorporated Washington County for any fence over 7 feet tall, and for any retaining wall over 4 feet, under Section 419-3. Fences and retaining…

Inside mapped Riparian Wildlife Habitat within the urban growth boundary, Washington County allows new fencing only if it lets wildlife pass through: a split-rail-style design with the…

Standalone retaining walls in unincorporated Washington County are capped at 7 feet under Section 419-5, while a combination fence-and-retaining-wall structure follows a different…

Fences in unincorporated Washington County top out at 7 feet in any required yard under Section 419-3, rising to 8 feet where the yard abuts an arterial or limited-access highway. A…

Washington County's health department runs swimming pool safety enforcement under Chapter 14.08, testing chlorine and pH daily, barring bathers with communicable disease or open sores…

Before anyone builds, installs, enlarges or substantially remodels a swimming pool in unincorporated Washington County, the health department, not the building division, must issue a…

Rural accessory dwelling units in unincorporated Washington County cannot be rented out as vacation rentals. CDC §§ 430-3.1.G and 430-4.1.E bar both Rural ADUs and Rural Historic ADUs…

Detached sheds and other residential accessory buildings in unincorporated Washington County can't cover more than 25% of a required rear yard, face a tiered total-square-footage cap…

Washington County allows up to two Urban Accessory Dwelling Units on a single-family lot in the unincorporated urban area, reviewed through a Type I permit under Community Development…

Converting an attached garage into an accessory dwelling unit is the one case in Washington County's ADU code where the usual 800-square-foot size cap does not apply: CDC §…

Anyone operating a short-term rental or other transient lodging in Washington County must register with the county within 15 days of starting business under WCC 3.08.190. The county…

Washington County enforces the Oregon Electrical Specialty Code as its wiring standard for the unincorporated area "under the jurisdiction and authority of Washington County," and…

Any construction, alteration, moving, demolition, repair or maintenance work on a building or structure in unincorporated Washington County is covered by the county's Uniform Building…

Washington County enforces the Oregon Plumbing Specialty Code as its plumbing standard for the unincorporated area, and Building Services must review and approve plans before issuing a…

Opening a day-care facility in unincorporated Washington County means meeting a dedicated zoning standard: CDC § 430-53.1 sets a 20-foot front and rear yard, a 10-foot side yard, a 40%…

Anyone can file a code complaint with unincorporated Washington County using the county's written complaint form, and staff can also open a case on their own without a resident…

In unincorporated Washington County, a code "violation" covers five categories: breaches of the Community Development Code and Comprehensive Framework Plan, Title 14 building rules…

After the county issues a notice of violation in unincorporated Washington County, the hearing before the hearings officer must be set at least thirty days out, unless a priority 1…

Washington County has no decibel limit for bars or nightclubs, but its general noise standard makes it unlawful to create sound that unreasonably disturbs a neighboring noise sensitive…

Washington County's Community Development Code prohibits any sign built to face freeway traffic outright. Section 414-8.5 lists freeway-oriented signs among six categories banned…

Digital billboards in unincorporated Washington County are allowed only in the General Commercial District under Community Development Code Section 414-2.2.G, held to a roughly…

Beyond state licensing requirements, Washington County's own code keeps retail marijuana facilities in the unincorporated area at least 1,000 feet from any other retail marijuana…

Washington County has not opted out of recreational marijuana. Retail Marijuana Facilities, covering both medical dispensaries and licensed recreational retailers, are a permitted use…

Exterior lighting on new attached-unit and non-residential developments in unincorporated Washington County must meet cutoff standards tied to fixture height. Section 415-4 lets a…

Digital billboards permitted in Washington County's General Commercial District can only show static, unmoving messages and must cap brightness at 0.3 foot-candles over ambient light…

Washington County measures light trespass at the property line, not at the fixture. Section 415-3.8 defines maximum permitted illumination as the foot-candle level at the property line…

Washington County's AF-5 Agriculture and Forest District carries a built-in right-to-farm protection: CDC § 348-1 warns rural residents they 'will be subject to normal and accepted…

Washington County does not issue countywide solicitor permits; cities regulate independently. Beaverton (BC 7.04), Hillsboro (HMC 5.08), Tigard (TMC 5.04), and Tualatin all require…

Washington County requires a Sheriff's Office permit before anyone buys or resells used precious metals, jewelry, electronics, tools, firearms or other regulated secondhand goods in…

Retailers anywhere in Washington County, inside or outside the cities, since this runs through the county's countywide Public Health Authority, cannot sell flavored vape juice or…

Unemancipated minors under 14 must be off unincorporated county streets and parks by 9:15 p.m. on school nights (10:15 p.m. before non-school days), and minors 14+ by 10:15 p.m. (11:59…

Washington County Code § 8.54.040(B) protects sitting, lying or sleeping on county property that doesn't 'create a camp or constitute camping,' as long as it doesn't obstruct the…

In unincorporated Washington County, camps on county property can't accumulate more than 100 gallons of garbage, debris or hazardous waste, and dumping gray or black water on county…

Constructing or locating any access within a Washington County road right-of-way requires a right-of-way permit under Road Design and Construction Standards Section 15.08.130.020, with…

A food truck or any vending vehicle cannot sit on a county right-of-way for more than 24 hours to sell merchandise without written permission from the Department of Land Use and…

A food truck or cart pod in unincorporated Washington County needs a temporary use permit renewed every year if it has eight or fewer units on a developed site, or a Type II…

WCC 8.20.030(A)(4) declares it unlawful to maintain or allow an offensive or hazardous accumulation of solid waste, garbage, refuse, liquid waste, or demolition debris on your…

Every certificated hauler serving unincorporated Washington County must provide on-route collection of source-separated recyclable material to all customers, matching the county's…

In unincorporated Washington County only a hauler holding a county sanitary service certificate may collect garbage for pay, per WCC 8.04.120, and the county sets collection standards…

WCC 8.04.055 requires every business in unincorporated Washington County, stores, offices, restaurants, warehouses, schools, hospitals and similar entities, to comply with the waste…

New development in unincorporated Washington County that fronts a public or private street must plant street trees under Community Development Code Section 407-7, spaced at roughly one…

In Significant Habitat areas within the urban growth boundary, only trees on the county's Native Tree List Category A that are 6 inches DBH or larger count as "Regulated Trees" subject…

Washington County doesn't have a stand-alone 'loud party' ordinance, but its Chronic Nuisance Property law, WCC § 8.44.020, holds an owner liable when a property racks up four or more…

In unincorporated Washington County's R-5 District, the county's baseline single-family zone, the Community Development Code caps new houses at 35 feet and detached garages, sheds and…

Standard single-family lots in the R-5 District, Washington County's baseline residential zone, follow a set yard formula under CDC § 302-7.2.B: a 15-foot front yard, a 5-foot side…

Washington County requires a grading permit for excavation, fill, private road cuts and site grading anywhere in the unincorporated county, with detailed exemptions for small jobs…

In unincorporated Washington County, any grading that blocks a drainage course requires a properly designed drainage device, minimum 12-inch culvert, under County Code Chapter 14.12…

New homes and major remodels built inside a mapped flood area in unincorporated Washington County must have their lowest floor, including any basement, elevated at least 1 foot above…

Building in a mapped floodplain or drainage hazard area in unincorporated Washington County requires engineered hydrologic analysis under Section 421-7, and most new construction…

In unincorporated Washington County's R-6 North Bethany District, a project may add up to three units per acre above the base five-to-six-unit density, reaching nine units per acre…

When a development in unincorporated Washington County must install landscaping, the Community Development Code bars using any plant identified on regional or local plant lists as…

Unincorporated Washington County protects designated monuments, statuary and other cultural objects through a Historic and Cultural Resource Overlay District applied by plan amendment…

Any unincorporated-area property infested by rats, mice or other vectors, or piled with material that could harbor them, is a declared county nuisance; the health department can order…

Washington County requires a permit for any 'outdoor mass gathering', an assembly of more than 3,000 people lasting 24 to 120 hours in open space, under WCC § 8.52.020(A). The…

Large open-air events in unincorporated Washington County, over 3,000 people, lasting more than 24 but less than 120 consecutive hours, need an Outdoor Mass Gathering permit filed at…

Washington County taxes every hotel, motel, and inn stay at 9% of rent under its Transient Lodging Tax ordinance (WCC 3.08.080). Operators collect the tax from guests, may keep a 5%…

County health officers can declare junk, unsealed wells, discarded lockable containers and fire-hazard debris on unincorporated property a nuisance, order abatement within 15 days…