ORS Chapter 215 establishes Exclusive Farm Use zones that limit non-farm development and preserve agricultural land statewide.
Oregon pioneered statewide land use planning through SB 100 (1973), which directs counties to designate Exclusive Farm Use (EFU) zones under ORS 215.203 and related provisions. Within EFU zones, farm use is the primary permitted use, and non-farm dwellings, commercial activity, and subdivisions are sharply restricted under ORS 215.213 and 215.283. Land Conservation and Development Commission Goals 3 and 4 reinforce protection of farm and forest lands. The Department of Land Conservation and Development reviews county compliance, and ORS 215.130 limits nonconforming uses. Together with Right to Farm, these tools create some of the strongest farm-protection rules in the nation.
Unauthorized non-farm uses on EFU land can trigger county enforcement orders, fines, and removal requirements.
Salem, OR
Salem designates public parking spaces for electric vehicle charging. Those spaces are reserved exclusively for vehicles that are actively charging. Paying t...
Salem, OR
Salem Revised Code Chapter 102 prohibits vehicles from remaining parked on the same public street block for more than 24 consecutive hours. Overnight parking...
Salem, OR
Salem has no city ordinance setting a specific defensible-space distance (e.g., 30 or 100 feet). Tall grass, brush, and dead vegetation can be abated as a pu...
Salem, OR
Salem adopts the Oregon Fire Code (OFC) in SRC Chapter 58, which incorporates OFC Chapter 61 and NFPA 58 standards governing LP-gas and propane storage, hand...
Salem, OR
Salem declares overgrown weeds and tall grass a public nuisance under SRC Chapter 98. Property owners must maintain vegetation to prevent it from becoming a ...
Salem, OR
Salem encourages home composting and offers curbside yard-debris collection. SRC Chapter 47 governs solid waste and yard debris. No permit is required for ba...
See how Salem's agricultural zoning protection rules stack up against other locations.
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