Landscaping Rules in Clackamas County, OR (2026)
4 rules for unincorporated Clackamas County, Oregon.
Verified from official government sources
Tree Trimming
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 required sight-clearance is set by the county's own Roadway Standards.
Tree and Shrub Road-View Rules in Clackamas County
Some RestrictionsClackamas County Code 7.03.090.B
B. Visual Impediments to Safe Road Use – No person shall allow any of the following things to exist on or in the road right-of-way, including intersecting corners, that abuts property they own or occupy, or on property that abuts a road, or in the airspace above a road, if the thing obstructs the view necessary for safe operation of motor vehicles upon the road, or if it causes potential danger...
Tree Removal & Heritage Trees
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 706), Water Quality Resource Areas (ZDO 709), or the Willamette Greenway (ZDO 705) require review before removal.
Tree Removal Permits in Clackamas County
Some RestrictionsClackamas County ZDO 1002
Removal of listed trees may be regulated under other provisions of the Ordinance, such as Section 705 (Willamette River Greenway), Section 706 (Habitat Conservation Area District), and Section 709 (Water Quality Resource Area District), or by conditions of approval on previous land use decisions.
Weed Ordinances
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 vegetation such as blackberry vines or English ivy. Weed and grass-height rules exist only inside cities.
Are tall grass and weeds regulated in unincorporated county?
Some RestrictionsClackamas County Code Enforcement (official statement)
Clackamas County does not have an ordinance that addresses this issue. Properties in the county that are outside of city limits are not required to cut their grass or remove noxious vegetations such as blackberry vines or English Ivy.
Composting
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 and can be ordered abated the same as any other solid waste violation.
Backyard Composting Nuisance Rules in Clackamas County
Light RestrictionsClackamas County Code § 10.03.060(B)(6)
6. Composting which causes offensive odors, or creates a health hazard, or which is capable of attracting or providing food for potential disease carriers such as birds, rodents, flies and other vectors. 7. Storing, collecting, maintaining, or displaying any licensed or unlicensed special vehicle or equipment that is immobile, inoperable, partially dismantled or dismantled, dilapidated, or f...
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