Benton County, OR Right to Farm: Farm Nuisance Protection (2026)

Adopted by Ord. 2000-0159 and known as the Farm Practice Ordinance, BCC Chapter 30 exists because generally accepted farm practices can offend, annoy, or interfere with non-farm neighbors, exposing farm operators to lawsuits and complaints. 015(6) defines a 'Protected Farm Activity' as any generally accepted farming practice or facility operated in compliance with applicable federal, state, or local rules, and then carves out three things that are never protected: growing infested, infected, or diseased crops, poultry, or livestock; facility conditions that endanger public health or safety; and trespass involving an actual physical invasion of another's property by a person or the farm's animals.

947. If that call cannot be made administratively, the department contacts a Designee, drawn from OSU Extension agents or similar field consultants, who chairs a 5-person Peer Review Board of local farmers appointed by the Board of Commissioners. At least 3 board members must work in the same type of farming as the dispute where possible, and the Designee must convene the board within 2 weeks of the Commissioners' appointments. The board's finding goes back to the referring department, which relies on it in deciding what action, if any, to take against the complained-of farm activity.