Marion County has no separate vacant-lot registry, but owners of vacant land within the unincorporated Salem-Keizer urban growth boundary must keep it free of nuisance vegetation (weeds and grass over 10 inches) under MCC 8.15, and junk or solid-waste accumulations are abatable nuisances under MCC 8.10.
Oregon places vacant-land upkeep on the owner. Under Marion County Code 8.15.040, no owner may cause or permit nuisance vegetation on property within the unincorporated areas of the Salem-Keizer urban growth boundary, which covers weeds and grasses more than 10 inches high, dead vegetation, and fire or traffic hazards. Elsewhere in the unincorporated county, accumulations of solid waste or inoperable vehicles on a vacant parcel are abatable public nuisances under MCC 8.10.030. There is no county-wide vacant-lot registration program; enforcement is complaint-driven through the county director or enforcement officer. Vacant lots inside Salem, Keizer, and Woodburn are governed by those cities' nuisance and property-maintenance codes instead.
Nuisance vegetation violations are punishable by fines up to a Class B (or Class A on repeat) violation amount under MCC 8.15.130; the county may abate and lien the cost plus a 25% administrative surcharge.
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 vacant lot maintenance rules stack up against other locations.
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