Structure height in Oregon is governed by the statewide Oregon Structural Specialty Code and Residential Specialty Code adopted under ORS 455.040. These set maximum heights by construction type and occupancy that cities cannot lower for code purposes, though zoning height limits remain local.
ORS 455.020-455.040 require uniform statewide enforcement of the Oregon Structural Specialty Code (OSSC) and Oregon Residential Specialty Code (ORSC). OSSC Table 504.3 sets maximum building heights by construction type, ranging from 40 feet for Type V-B wood frame to unlimited for Type I-A. Residential R-3 occupancies are limited to three stories above grade plane. These are minimum-safety ceilings, not zoning. Local zoning height limits (often 25-35 feet in single-family zones) operate independently and remain valid as long as they do not exceed code maxima or violate state housing preemption laws like HB 2001.
Building permit denials for code-exceeding heights are appealed to local boards then to the State Building Codes Structures Board.
Salem, OR
Salem designates public parking spaces for electric vehicle charging. Those spaces are reserved exclusively for vehicles that are actively charging. Paying t...
Salem, OR
Salem Revised Code Chapter 102 prohibits vehicles from remaining parked on the same public street block for more than 24 consecutive hours. Overnight parking...
Salem, OR
Salem has no city ordinance setting a specific defensible-space distance (e.g., 30 or 100 feet). Tall grass, brush, and dead vegetation can be abated as a pu...
Salem, OR
Salem adopts the Oregon Fire Code (OFC) in SRC Chapter 58, which incorporates OFC Chapter 61 and NFPA 58 standards governing LP-gas and propane storage, hand...
Salem, OR
Salem declares overgrown weeds and tall grass a public nuisance under SRC Chapter 98. Property owners must maintain vegetation to prevent it from becoming a ...
Salem, OR
Salem encourages home composting and offers curbside yard-debris collection. SRC Chapter 47 governs solid waste and yard debris. No permit is required for ba...
See how Salem's structure height limits rules stack up against other locations.
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