Moving to Beaverton, OR? Here Are the Local Rules You Should Know

Beaverton, Oregon may not be the biggest city in the state, but it has its own set of local rules that residents need to follow. With 115 tracked ordinances across 40 categories, there is more here than you might expect.

Landscaping Rules

Tree Removal & Heritage Trees: Removing trees from a Beaverton Significant Grove or Natural Resource Area triggers mitigation planting under Development Code § 60.60.25: up to a 2:1 on-site ratio once removal exceeds 50% of surveyed tree diameter..

Also covered: Weed Ordinances (moderate), Tree Trimming (moderate), Native Plants (moderate). See the full landscaping rules guide for Beaverton for details.

Fence Regulations

Fence Permit Requirements: A new or modified fence at a Beaverton commercial, industrial, or multi-family property needs a Design Review Compliance Letter; single-detached homes are exempt and only need to meet the fence height standards..

Also covered: Material Restrictions (moderate), Retaining Walls (moderate), Height Limits (moderate). See the full fence regulations guide for Beaverton for details.

Cannabis Regulations

Dispensary Zoning: Beaverton, Oregon zones marijuana dispensaries and retail marijuana sales out of every residential and downtown district while allowing them, with conditions, in the city's commercial zones: no local opt-out..

Also covered: Buffer Zones (moderate). See the full cannabis regulations guide for Beaverton for details.

Noise Ordinances

Decibel Limits: In residential areas of Beaverton, Washington County, sound between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.

Also covered: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (moderate), Construction Hours (moderate), Leaf Blower Rules (moderate). See the full noise ordinances guide for Beaverton for details.

Trash & Recycling

Recycling Requirements: Beaverton requires a franchised citywide recycling program under BC 4.08.020, targeting a 75% recovery rate by 2020 and 90% by 2050, alongside solid waste and yard debris collection..

Also covered: Illegal Dumping (moderate), Mandatory Organics Recycling (moderate), Collection Schedule (moderate). See the full trash & recycling guide for Beaverton for details.

Animal Ordinances

Exotic Pets: Beaverton prohibits keeping any wild, exotic, or dangerous animal within city limits, with narrow exceptions for institutions, circuses, veterinarians, and assistance animals..

Also covered: Chickens & Livestock (moderate), Pet Store Rules (strict), Wildlife Feeding (moderate). See the full animal ordinances guide for Beaverton for details.

Homelessness & Encampment Rules

Encampment Sanitation: Beaverton bans leaving rubbish, hazardous materials, or human or animal waste in or around a campsite on public right-of-way or city property under its camping ordinance..

Immigration Policy

Sanctuary Policy Preemption: Beaverton bars city property, funds, equipment, and personnel from being used for federal immigration enforcement and requires declining most non-judicial immigration enforcement requests..

Swimming Pools & Spas

Fencing & Safety Requirements: Beaverton requires every swimming pool to be completely enclosed by a fence or wall at least 4 feet high with no gaps over 4 inches, plus self-latching gates set at least 40 inches above the ground..

Also covered: Pool Permits (moderate). See the full swimming pools & spas guide for Beaverton for details.

Sign Regulations

Digital Billboards: Beaverton bans standalone digital billboards outright and allows Electronic Message Centers only as part of a permitted freestanding sign on arterial streets, tightly capped on brightness, size and location..

Also covered: Holiday Displays (restrictive), Political Signs (moderate), Window Signs (moderate). See the full sign regulations guide for Beaverton for details.

Soliciting & Door-to-Door

No-Knock Registry: Beaverton restricts door-to-door solicitation to 8 a.m.–9 p.m. and bars solicitors entirely from any residence posting a "No Solicitors" or "No Peddlers" sign..

Also covered: Solicitor Permits (moderate). See the full soliciting & door-to-door guide for Beaverton for details.

Business Licensing & Operations

Auto Repair on Residential Property: Beaverton's Development Code flatly excludes major and minor automotive service businesses from the Home Occupation program, so a residential auto-repair business cannot be permitted in the city..

Also covered: Towing Companies (limited), Secondhand Dealers (restrictive), Pawnbrokers (restrictive). See the full business licensing & operations guide for Beaverton for details.

Accessory Structures

Tiny Homes: Beaverton has not adopted Appendix Q's special tiny-house standards, so a tiny house here must meet the same full Residential Specialty Code requirements as any other dwelling..

Also covered: ADU Owner Occupancy (permissive), Shed & Carport Rules (moderate), Garage Conversions (moderate). See the full accessory structures guide for Beaverton for details.

Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors

Sidewalk & Mobile Vending: Beaverton bars fixed or mobile vendors and concessions on its parks, plazas and library grounds unless covered by a special event permit: a park-property rule, not a general public-sidewalk vending law..

Also covered: Vending Zones (moderate), Food Truck Permits (moderate). See the full food trucks & mobile vendors guide for Beaverton for details.

Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules

Sidewalk Repair: Beaverton property owners must keep abutting sidewalks, curbs and gutters safe and are liable for injuries caused by neglecting that duty..

Also covered: Obstruction Rules (moderate), Encroachment Permits (moderate). See the full sidewalk & pedestrian rules guide for Beaverton for details.

Rental Property Rules

Repairs & Habitability: Violating Beaverton's habitability code carries civil infractions of up to $250 per day, and a unit posted with a notice to vacate cannot be reoccupied until the code official inspects and clears the repairs..

Public Conduct

Skateboarding Rules: Beaverton bans rollerskates and skateboards on business-district sidewalks and on any street, except at authorized locations or to cross at a crosswalk..

Also covered: Public Alcohol Use (restrictive), Jaywalking (moderate), Public Urination (moderate). See the full public conduct guide for Beaverton for details.

Parking Rules

Loading Zones: Beaverton requires off-street loading docks to sit on the same lot as the building they serve, never inside required parking area, and never positioned so a loading vehicle sticks out into a public street..

Also covered: Commercial & Oversized Vehicles (moderate), RV & Boat Parking (moderate), Abandoned Vehicles (moderate). See the full parking rules guide for Beaverton for details.

Zoning Overlays & Bonuses

Downtown Design Guide: Any new construction, addition, or major renovation within Beaverton's mapped Downtown Design District must pass one of three Design Review tracks under Development Code Chapter 70 before city permits issue..

Also covered: Density Bonus Law (moderate). See the full zoning overlays & bonuses guide for Beaverton for details.

Tree Protection

Heritage & Protected Trees: Beaverton's Development Code protects Significant Individual Trees, Historic Trees, and Significant Grove/SNRA trees, requiring protective fencing and barring construction, grading, or trenching inside the root zone during development..

Also covered: Parkway Planting (moderate). See the full tree protection guide for Beaverton for details.

Building Setbacks & Zoning

Setback Rules: In Beaverton's Downtown Central (RC-BC) zoning district, buildings need no side or interior setback but must sit back at least 6 feet from the front property line when ground-floor units are residential, and 10 feet from an adjoining residential zone..

Also covered: Structure Height Limits (moderate). See the full building setbacks & zoning guide for Beaverton for details.

Home Business

Home Daycare: Running a Beaverton home daycare that has parents or kids visiting requires a Home Occupation Two approval, capped at 8 daily clients and one non-resident staff member..

Also covered: Signage Rules (moderate), Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (moderate), Customer Traffic Restrictions (moderate). See the full home business guide for Beaverton for details.

Building Safety

Door Locking Hardware: Beaverton's property maintenance code requires every exterior door to have a lock that discourages entry yet opens from inside without a key, plus sound hinges and strike plates..

Also covered: Childcare Center Rules (moderate), Building Inspections (moderate), Building Permits (moderate). See the full building safety guide for Beaverton for details.

Curfew Laws

Juvenile Curfew: Beaverton, Oregon bars unaccompanied minors under 18 from public places during set curfew hours, with earlier limits for kids under 14 than for 14-17 year-olds..

Also covered: Park Curfew (moderate). See the full curfew laws guide for Beaverton for details.

Noise from Specific Sources

Low-Frequency Bass Limits: Beaverton bans radios, stereos, boomboxes, and similar devices from producing sound, including heavy bass, that is plainly audible to others, with a 50-foot public-space threshold and a nighttime 50 dBA factor..

Also covered: Car Alarm Limits (moderate), Delivery Truck Noise (moderate), Bar & Nightclub Noise (moderate). See the full noise from specific sources guide for Beaverton for details.

Fire Regulations

Fireworks: Selling fireworks in Beaverton requires a Temporary Non-Mobile Sales land-use approval, a City Business License, and state or local fireworks licensing, and the same site may host the sale only twice a year..

Special Events & Permits

Block Party Permits: Beaverton residents closing a public street for a block party need a temporary special permit from the city manager, reviewed under the same standards and procedure used for parade permits..

Also covered: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (moderate), Parade Permits (moderate), Street Fair Rules (moderate). See the full special events & permits guide for Beaverton for details.

Outdoor Lighting

Billboard Lighting: Beaverton prohibits billboards outright citywide under its Development Code, so there's no separate billboard-lighting standard to meet: the structure itself can't be erected anywhere in the city, lit or unlit..

Also covered: Dark Sky Rules (moderate), Light Trespass & Shielding (moderate). See the full outdoor lighting guide for Beaverton for details.

Invasive Plant Rules

Prohibited Species: Within Beaverton's Cooper Mountain Resource Overlay, planting vegetation on the city's approved nuisance or prohibited species plant lists is banned to protect wetlands and wildlife habitat..

Also covered: Tree-of-Heaven Removal (permissive). See the full invasive plant rules guide for Beaverton for details.

Property Maintenance

Property Blight: Beaverton requires every dwelling to meet baseline maintenance standards, and treats a violation as a public nuisance the city can abate by repair or send to a court-appointed receiver under BC 8.07.100 and 8.07.520..

Also covered: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (moderate), Vacant Lot Maintenance (moderate). See the full property maintenance guide for Beaverton for details.

Local Taxes & Fees

Business Tax Classification: Beaverton computes its annual business license tax either by the number of employees/full-time-equivalents working in the business or, for rental housing, by dwelling units, with actual dollar rates set separately by council resolution..

Filming & Production

Street Closures: Beaverton has no filming-specific ordinance; a production that closes a street works through the same BC 7.05 special event permit, which requires 20 days' advance notice to neighbors..

Outdoor Cooking

Smoker Rules: Beaverton limits outdoor cooking on city-owned parks and plazas: fires, stoves and barbecues are allowed only at locations and events the city manager designates, not city-wide or on private property..

Environmental Rules

Flood Zones: Beaverton participates in FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program and regulates development in mapped Special Flood Hazard Areas under the Beaverton Development Code Chapter 60.05 (Special Districts and Overlay Zones, including Floodplain). The primary Beaverton floodplains follow Beaverton Creek, Fanno Creek, Johnson Creek, and Hall Creek (FEMA Zone AE).

Also covered: Stormwater Management (moderate). See the full environmental rules guide for Beaverton for details.

Garage & Yard Sales

Frequency, Duration & Permits: Beaverton exempts a resident's yard or garage sale from business licensing only if the noncommercial, on-premises sale of used household goods runs no more than six days in any one-year period..

Public Health Rules

Rodent Control: Beaverton's property maintenance code requires every dwelling be kept free of insect and rodent infestation, and puts extermination duty on owners before occupancy and on occupants during single-family tenancy..

HOA Rules

CC&R Enforcement: Beaverton's Development Code treats its own standards as a floor: recorded HOA covenants and CC&Rs can add stricter private restrictions, but when the City's Code is more restrictive than a private agreement, the Code controls..

Hotels & Lodging

Transient Occupancy Tax: Beaverton charges a 4% transient lodging tax on hotel, motel, and short-term rental stays under 30 consecutive days, on top of county and state tax..

Code Violation Reporting

How to Report: Beaverton residents report suspected City Code or Development Code violations to code enforcement, which reviews every report and may investigate before pursuing a case..

Historic Preservation

Historic-Cultural Monuments: Beaverton requires City Historic Review approval before altering, moving, or demolishing a designated historic landmark, or before new construction inside a designated historic district: routine repairs, paint, signage, and public art are exempt..

What to Do With This Information

This overview covers the big picture, but the details matter. Each ordinance page for Beaverton includes the full text, violation penalties, and frequently asked questions. Use those pages when you need specifics.