Tigard, OR Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

Tigard Municipal Code § 14.16.080 puts the duty on the owner: no owner maintains or permits to be maintained residential property that fails Chapter 14.16, and all residential property is kept to the building code requirements in effect at the time of construction, alteration or repair. Section 14.16.020 states the purpose: minimum standards for basic equipment, facilities, sanitation, fire safety and maintenance, plus abatement of dangerous and derelict buildings. The chapter defines "residential rental property" as any property in the City with one or more dwelling units not occupied as the owner's principal residence. It applies to all property in the City except Group "I" occupancies, and an Oregon Department of Human Resources licensing requirement controls where it conflicts.

The standards are specific. Every dwelling unit needs a toilet, a lavatory basin and a bathtub or shower, each in safe working condition, and a kitchen sink apart from the lavatory. Hot and cold running water must reach every required fixture, and water heating must deliver water at a temperature of at least 120 degrees. Every dwelling needs a heating facility capable of maintaining 68 degrees Fahrenheit at a point 3 feet from the floor in all habitable rooms, and portable heating devices do not count toward it. Every habitable room needs at least two operable electric outlets, or one outlet and one operable light fixture. Roofs must keep rain out, dwellings must be kept reasonably free from dampness that invites mold, and insect and rodent infestations must be promptly exterminated. A dwelling unit is overcrowded when there are more residents than one plus one additional resident for every 150 square feet of habitable floor area. Every sleeping room needs an emergency escape window or door, and smoke alarms are required near sleeping rooms and on each additional story.

After a notice of violation, a vacated unit cannot be reoccupied under § 14.16.440 until permits are obtained, corrections made and inspections approved, unless the building official finds all fire and life safety hazards rectified.