Josephine County, OR Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Standard height cap
- 35 feet (RR, RC, RI, resource zones)
- Forest Commercial (FC) zone
- No height limit
- Aggregate Resource (AG) zone
- No height limit
- Exempt features
- Chimneys, flagpoles, radio masts, towers
- Agricultural buildings
- Exempt from height cap
- Height measured per
- Definition in § 19.11.100
- Maximum fine
- $500 noncontinuing, $1,000 continuing
Summary
In rural Josephine County, outside the Grants Pass and Cave Junction urban growth boundaries, most rural structures are capped at 35 feet under the Rural Land Development Code's height and setback table. Agricultural buildings such as barns and silos, plus features like flagpoles and chimneys listed in JCC § 19.72.030, may rise above that limit, and the Forest Commercial zone carries no cap at all.
§ 19.72.020. Structure height and setback requirements. A. The following minimum requirements shall be applied to all permitted, administrative, conditional, and accessory structures allowed by this title unless specified otherwise. ... All requirements are specified in feet: STRUCTURE SETBACK FROM PROPERTY LINE ZONE HEIGHT FRONT SIDE REAR RR* 35 30 10 25 ... § 19.72.030. Special height requirements. ... B. The following may be erected above the height limits prescribed in JCC § 19.72.020(A): ... 3. Agricultural buildings including barns and silos;
Full Breakdown
020(A)'s table sets a 35-foot height limit for structures in the Rural Residential, Rural Commercial, Rural Industrial, Exclusive Farm, Farm Resource, Wild and Scenic River, Limited Development and Serpentine zones. The Forest Commercial and Aggregate Resource zones are both listed as 'none,' meaning the table imposes no height cap in those two zones. 100. 030(B) lists structures that may exceed the height limit in every zone regardless of the table: roof housings for elevators, stairways, tanks and ventilating fans; fire or parapet walls, skylights, towers, flagpoles, chimneys, smokestacks, radio masts and television antennas; agricultural buildings including barns and silos; and timber-industry structures such as wood waste burners, kiln drying racks, veneer dryers, sawmills, aeration towers, cooling towers, electrical transmission towers, aircraft beacons and air traffic control towers. 74).
Violations & Fines
A structure built above the applicable height limit without qualifying for one of the § 19.72.030(B) exemptions is enforced under the general Rural Land Development Code violation process in Chapter 19.19: written notice, up to 30 days to correct, then District Attorney prosecution or Board of County Commissioners civil remedy, with fines up to $500 for a noncontinuing offense and $1,000 for a continuing one.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the maximum building height in rural Josephine County?
Are barns and silos allowed to exceed the height limit?
How is building height measured under the rural code?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Josephine County
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