Marion County has no countywide defensible-space clearance mandate. Oregon's statewide defensible-space requirement was repealed by SB 83 in 2025, so any brush-clearing duty now comes only from local codes or your fire district.
There is no county ordinance requiring rural Marion County homeowners to clear a set defensible-space perimeter. Oregon had been building a statewide wildfire hazard map with mandatory defensible-space standards under SB 762, but Senate Bill 83 (2025) repealed the map and the mandatory defensible-space and building-code requirements tied to it, replacing them with a voluntary model code local governments may adopt. Fire agencies still strongly recommend the OSFM/Firewise practice of removing dry brush, ladder fuels, and debris within 30 to 100 feet of structures, especially in the Cascade foothills, but it is advisory unless your city or district adopts it.
No county penalty for failing to clear brush. Overgrown lots may still be cited under separate nuisance/weed-abatement rules, and negligently spread fire can create liability.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Marion County has no ordinance banning backyard composting, and no permit is needed for a home compost pile. It must not become a nuisance, attract rodents o...
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Marion County has no ordinance banning or specifically regulating residential artificial turf. Installation on private property is generally allowed. Check d...
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Marion County does not require any particular plants and does not ban native or xeric landscaping. Ornamental landscape grasses that are not a fire or traffi...
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Oregon law lets you collect rain and snowmelt from a rooftop or other artificial impervious surface without a water right. Marion County has no ordinance ban...
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Marion County itself sets no residential watering schedule. In Salem, the Public Works Director may curtail water use whenever a supply shortage or emergency...
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All of Marion County outside city limits is a weed control district. Landowners must destroy designated noxious weeds and stop them from seeding. Inside the ...
See how Marion County's brush clearance rules stack up against other locations.
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