Clackamas County, OR Ordinances (2026)

In unincorporated Clackamas County, ZDO Section 315 sets accessory-building setbacks. A shed behind the building line under 100 sq ft and 8 feet tall needs no setback; larger sheds…

Accessory dwelling units in unincorporated Clackamas County are not exempt from the county's Transportation System Development Charge. Under County Code Section 11.03.020(A), a…

In unincorporated Clackamas County, ZDO Section 839 allows one ADU per single-family dwelling. Inside an urban growth boundary the ADU maxes at 900 sq ft (500 sq ft in R-2.5). Oregon…

Dumping trash, litter, or debris in any amount violates Chapter 10.03 of the Clackamas County Solid Waste Code, with civil penalties up to $3,500 when the owner can be identified…

In unincorporated Clackamas County, garbage must be removed from the property at least once every 7 days and kept in a rodent-proof container with a tight-fitting lid while on site…

Franchised haulers must pick up yard debris weekly on-route for homes inside the Metro urban growth boundary. County code defines yard debris narrowly: grass, leaves and prunings under…

Franchised haulers serving unincorporated Clackamas County must run weekly curbside recycling routes inside the urban growth boundary under County Code Section 10.03.260(A)(5)(a). The…

Every business in the county must source-separate recyclable paper, cardboard, glass, plastic bottles and metal cans, provide labeled receptacles, and post signage identifying what to…

Commercial, industrial, multi-family and residential developments that use an on-site compactor must keep the area around it clean and washed down or face a solid waste nuisance…

Only a county-franchised hauler or its approved subcontractor may collect solid waste for pay in unincorporated Clackamas County. Self-hauling for compensation, or hiring an…

Under Oregon's SB 762 program, properties in the wildland-urban interface must maintain defensible space. Core standards include a noncombustible 5-foot zone next to structures, grass…

Oregon law is restrictive. Legal retail 'consumer' fireworks may not fly more than 12 inches into the air or travel more than 6 feet on the ground. Bottle rockets, Roman candles…

In Clackamas Fire District's coverage area, backyard yard-debris burning is allowed only during two seasons, March 1–June 15 and October 1–December 15, on approved days, outside the…

Small recreational fires for warmth or cooking are allowed but must stay at least 50 feet from any structure and be attended and fully extinguished. Restrictions tighten during…

Clackamas County ZDO 822 sets two tiers. A Level 1 minor home occupation needs no land use permit but must meet fixed limits. A major home occupation requires a Type II land use permit…

For home occupations in unincorporated Clackamas County, ZDO 822 allows signs only as permitted under the county's sign regulations. Signs shall be permitted pursuant to Section 1010…

Oregon's Cottage Food Exemption lets you sell non-potentially-hazardous baked goods and confections from your home kitchen without an ODA license, as long as sales do not exceed…

Clackamas County bans earth, rock, vegetation, structures, debris and other hazards on road right-of-way abutting your property, including sidewalks. The Road Official enforces it, and…

The county Road Official can issue a revocable permit letting a structure or object sit in the right-of-way, including a sidewalk, if it will not create a hazard. Fees run $793 for an…

Clackamas County regulates rooftop and ground-mount solar installations under the Oregon Solar Installation Specialty Code, adopted by County Code 9.02.040(M). Installers go through…

Clackamas County can remove anyone camping on public property in the unincorporated county once a written notice of unlawful camping has been posted for five days. The notice must…

Clackamas County's only codified carbon monoxide detector mandate applies to short-term rentals: Section 8.10.050(J)(1) requires working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors installed…

Clackamas County puts the duty to schedule inspections on the permit holder, not the county: the permittee must request every required inspection, give inspectors site access, and keep…

Clackamas County requires a permit for construction, alteration, demolition, repair or moving of any building or structure in the unincorporated county, plus specific extras like…

Clackamas County enforces the Oregon Electrical Specialty Code as part of its own Building Code, so any new wiring, service upgrade or electrical alteration in the unincorporated…

Clackamas County enforces the Oregon Plumbing Specialty Code under County Code 9.02.040(C) for all plumbing work in the unincorporated area. A building permit must be issued before…

Every short-term rental in unincorporated Clackamas County must be registered with the county before it can be advertised or rented, under Code Section 8.10.040. New rentals also need…

Clackamas County requires one off-street parking space per sleeping area at a short-term rental, and vehicles that block emergency access, driveways, or other parked cars can be towed…

Clackamas County requires every short-term rental to post notice telling guests they must follow the county's noise control ordinance, and complaints against a rental trigger a…

Clackamas County caps short-term rental occupancy at two people per sleeping area plus four more, with an absolute ceiling of 15 occupants no matter how large the house is, under Code…

Clackamas County requires every short-term rental applicant to submit proof of liability insurance coverage on the rental as part of the Section 8.10.040 registration package…

Clackamas County does not require a host to stay on-site during STR stays. Instead, contact information for a responsible party must be posted at all times while guests are present…

Short-term rental operators in unincorporated Clackamas County remit three separate charges on every stay: a 1.5% state lodging tax, a 6% county Transient Lodging Tax, and a 0.85%…

Commercial photography, motion picture and television production in unincorporated Clackamas County requires a permit under County Code Chapter 8.08, with the applicant covering any…

A film shoot on private or public property in unincorporated Clackamas County needs a location permit good for 60 days or one production, whichever comes first, with a separate permit…

A college film class assignment shot on location in unincorporated Clackamas County isn't automatically exempt from the county's film permit ordinance. Chapter 8.08 defines 'motion…

Clackamas County Sheriff's deputies can tow a vehicle off county roads or county property without any advance warning under 18 specific circumstances in County Code Section 7.01.080…

Anyone buying and reselling used goods in unincorporated Clackamas County, from resale shops to used electronics dealers, needs a Secondhand Dealer's Permit from the Sheriff's Office…

Pawnbrokers in unincorporated Clackamas County operate under state law first: Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 726 sets the license itself. The county code layers on its own…

Leave a vehicle parked on a county highway in unincorporated Clackamas County for more than 72 hours without moving it at least three car lengths, and it's a citable violation under…

On county roads, a trailer, boat trailer or RV trailer must stay hitched to a vehicle able to tow it; leaving one parked unattached is a citable offense. Living or camping in any…

Parking your car on a county road in unincorporated Clackamas County is illegal if it leaves less than 18 feet of clear roadway for other traffic to pass, under Code Section…

Residents cannot paint their own curb to create parking restrictions. Yellow-curb and no-parking markings on county roads are valid only where authorized by the Department of…

On county roads, an oversized vehicle must still leave at least 18 feet of unobstructed roadway and cannot block traffic or fire access (Code 7.01.020). In residential zones, a truck…

Storing an inoperable vehicle anywhere but inside a permitted structure is a public nuisance in unincorporated Clackamas County. Owners get one exception: up to two inoperable vehicles…

Sounding a car alarm, or any other emergency signaling device, outdoors in unincorporated Clackamas County is a per se noise violation unless there is an actual emergency, under Code…

Clackamas County's Noise Control chapter names generators among the sound sources it regulates and caps any sound source at 50 dBA between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. and 60 dBA during the day…

Unincorporated Clackamas County does not regulate aircraft noise under its own noise code. Code Section 6.05.060(C) exempts sounds from sources regulated by federal law, expressly…

Unincorporated Clackamas County bans any sound source from exceeding 50 dBA between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. and 60 dBA between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. under County Code 6.05.040(A). Exceeding…

Construction, demolition, alteration, or repair of a building, and excavation of streets and highways, may only occur between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. in unincorporated Clackamas County…

Running a gas leaf blower, power fan, or other internal-combustion blower between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. is a per se noise violation in unincorporated Clackamas County if it is…

Clackamas County treats a barking dog as a noise nuisance two ways: Noise Control Code 6.05.040(B)(9) makes it a per se violation for any dog to unreasonably cause annoyance, alarm or…

In unincorporated Clackamas County it is a per se violation to exceed 50 dBA between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., or 60 dBA between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Nighttime is the strict quiet period…

Unincorporated Clackamas County bars sounding any vehicle horn, signaling device, or similar device on a right-of-way or in public space for more than ten consecutive seconds, under…

Between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., unincorporated Clackamas County bars unreasonably loud loudspeakers, amplifiers, and PA systems near dwellings or noise-sensitive areas, and in public space…

Retaining walls are a permitted accessory use in unincorporated Clackamas County residential districts, but taller walls require a building permit and engineering under the Oregon…

In unincorporated urban residential Clackamas County, fences and sight-obscuring plantings may reach 6 feet at or behind the front building line, but only 4 feet forward of it (toward…

Clackamas County treats fences as regulated structures under its Building Code chapter, meaning fence construction on unincorporated land goes through the same application, review and…

In unincorporated Clackamas County a dog off its owner's property must be under the immediate control of a person. A 'dog at large' is a public nuisance and may be impounded. Cities…

Clackamas County sets no hard cap on dogs, but owning more than one dog requires a Multiple Dog License, granted only after a veterinarian or county inspection confirms minimum-care…

Clackamas County bans hunting, trapping, injuring or otherwise molesting any bird or animal inside county parks, forests and recreation areas. The same rule outlaws discharging or even…

In unincorporated Clackamas County, chickens and roosters are allowed in rural areas but restricted in urban and residential zones. Keeping poultry and livestock is a zoning matter…

Clackamas County requires cats, like dogs, to stay on a leash no longer than six feet whenever they're in a county park, and owners must bag and bin all pet waste. A ranger can order…

Clackamas County Code 5.01.050(C) lets a Hearings Officer classify any dog that has menaced, bitten, chased, injured or killed a person, domestic animal or livestock as a dangerous…

Clackamas County doesn't microchip every dog, but Code 5.01.080(B)(1)(h) lets a Hearings Officer order microchip identification as a condition for any Chapter 5.01 violation, and Code…

Clackamas County taxes short stays: any hotel, motel, bed and breakfast, or short-term rental in the unincorporated county must collect a 6 percent room tax on rent charged for…

Setbacks vary by zoning district. In urban low-density residential (R-5 to R-30) the ZDO requires a 15-foot front setback (20 ft to a garage), 20-foot rear, and 5-foot side. Rural RA-2…

In the urban low-density residential districts (R-2.5 to R-30), the ZDO limits maximum lot coverage to 50 percent. In a planned unit development, maximum lot coverage rises to 65…

In the urban low-density residential districts, the ZDO caps most buildings, including accessory dwelling units, at 35 feet. Large accessory buildings (over 500 sq ft) accessory to a…

A food cart or mobile food unit operating in unincorporated Clackamas County is a licensed 'food service facility' under county code, not a workaround from restaurant rules. The county…

County code bars vending vehicles, trailers, RVs and merchandise stands on the traveled roadway or abutting property if they could obstruct the view of or endanger road users. That…

County code bars trees, shrubs, hedges and overhanging limbs on or near a road right-of-way if they block the view needed for safe driving. The Road Official judges hazard, and the…

Unincorporated Clackamas County has no standalone yard-tree permit, but ZDO 1002.02 caps non-exempt removals at three per lot per year. Trees in mapped Habitat Conservation Areas (ZDO…

No. Clackamas County has no ordinance addressing tall grass or weeds. The county states that properties outside city limits are not required to cut their grass or remove noxious…

Clackamas County does not require a permit to compost at home, but a compost pile that smells, breeds pests or creates a health hazard is a public nuisance under the solid waste code…

Clackamas County requires advance booking for campsites, picnic shelters and day-use group gatherings in its parks. Online reservations for campsites and picnic areas must be made at…

Clackamas County bans possessing alcoholic beverages in the general day-use areas of its parks unless you hold a permit for a reserved group picnic area. Reserved campsites need no…

Clackamas County bans urinating or defecating in public anywhere in a county park area that has restroom facilities. The rule sits in the same waste-disposal subsection that requires…

Clackamas County Code 6.04.030 bans smoking, vaping and other tobacco use inside every county-owned or leased facility and within 25 feet of doors, windows and vents on county…

Clackamas County can order a substandard or dangerous building repaired, vacated or demolished as a public nuisance under Chapter 9.01 of the county code. The Building Official issues…

Any short-term rental in unincorporated Clackamas County with a pool or hot tub must keep a code-compliant barrier around it under the county's short-term rental building and fire…

Clackamas County parks close at night: entrance gates are locked from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., quiet hours run 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., and no one under 18 may camp overnight unless accompanied by…

Outside incorporated cities, Clackamas County Code 6.01.020 bars minors under 18 from streets, parks and other public places during set curfew hours unless accompanied by an adult 21…

Clackamas County's ZDO addresses light trespass through Subsection 1005.04, which requires outdoor lighting to be shielded and directed so light stays within the subject property…

Clackamas County has no formal 'dark-sky' overlay, but ZDO Subsection 1005.04 requires outdoor lighting not to direct light skyward: fixtures must shield and direct light downward…

Clackamas County confirms 'the size and placement of political signs are not regulated by election law.' In the unincorporated county, campaign signs follow the content-neutral ZDO…

In unincorporated Clackamas County, garage-sale signs are temporary signs under ZDO Section 1010. A sign 3 square feet or less needs no permit, temporary signs may not display more…

Anyone hired to handle food at a restaurant, food cart, or other licensed food service facility in unincorporated Clackamas County has 30 days from their start date to get a food…

Clackamas County Code bars used needles, syringes, lancets and other sharps from the garbage or recycling cart. The Solid Waste and Waste Management Chapter classifies sharps as…

Report a suspected code violation to Clackamas County Code Enforcement and staff will run a preliminary investigation before anything else happens. Under County Code 2.07.030(A), staff…

In unincorporated Clackamas County, a home or business surveillance camera system counts as an 'alarm system' under the county's alarm ordinance whenever it is arranged to summon a…

Clackamas County outright bans flying drones, and any other remote-control device, in every county park, forest and recreation area. Code § 6.06.050(H)(8) also covers RC airplanes and…