Multnomah County, OR Drone Rules: Recreational Drones (2026)
Key Facts
- Building size cap
- 500 square feet
- Foundation rule
- no permanent foundation unless pre-existing
- Surface rule
- no hard surface unless pre-existing
- Fees allowed
- owner rent; operator fee capped at upkeep cost
- Zone
- Exclusive Farm Use (EFU) base zone
- Governing section
- MCC § 39.4220(U)
Summary
In unincorporated Multnomah County's Exclusive Farm Use zone, a landowner may set aside a site for model aircraft, including radio-controlled drones, takeoff and landing under MCC 39.4220(U). Any support building is capped at 500 square feet and can't sit on a permanent foundation unless one already existed.
(U) A site for the takeoff and landing of model aircraft, including such buildings or facilities as may reasonably be necessary. Buildings or facilities shall not be more than 500 square feet in floor area or placed on a permanent foundation unless the building or facility pre-existed the use approved under this paragraph. An owner of property used for the purpose authorized in this paragraph may charge a person operating the use on the property rent for the property. An operator may charge users of the property a fee that does not exceed the operator's cost to maintain the property, buildings and facilities. The site shall not include an aggregate surface or hard surface area unless the surface pre-existed the use approved under this paragraph. As used in this paragraph, "model aircraft" means a small-scale version of an airplane, glider, helicopter, dirigible or balloon that is used or intended to be used for flight and is controlled by radio, lines or design by a person on the ground.
Full Breakdown
" The code defines model aircraft broadly as a small-scale airplane, glider, helicopter, dirigible or balloon controlled by radio, lines or design from the ground, language wide enough to cover recreational drones. Support buildings or facilities on the site can't exceed 500 square feet of floor area, and can't be placed on a permanent foundation unless the building or facility pre-existed the approved use. The site also can't include an aggregate or hard surface area unless that surface already existed before the use was approved.
The property owner is allowed to charge rent to whoever operates the site, and that operator can in turn charge users of the property a fee, but that user fee is capped at the operator's actual cost of maintaining the property, buildings and facilities. 4260. Multnomah County's role here is strictly zoning: siting, size and surfacing of the ground facility, not aircraft operation itself, which the Federal Aviation Administration preempts.
Violations & Fines
Building a support structure over the 500-square-foot cap, pouring a permanent foundation, or paving a hard surface without a pre-existing surface converts the site into an unauthorized use that instead needs Review Use approval under MCC 39.4225. Multnomah County code enforcement can cite the landowner and order removal of the unpermitted structure or surfacing, and operating the site without meeting the base zone's dimensional standards forfeits its by-right allowed-use status.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I fly recreational drones on my Multnomah County farm property?
Does the county regulate how high or where I can fly my drone?
Can I charge people to use my property as a drone field?
What if I want a bigger building at the site?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Multnomah County
Compare Multnomah County to another location·View the Oregon drone rules overview
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