Oregon Ordinances (2026)

Under ORS 197.312(5), Oregon cities with populations over 2,500 and counties over 15,000 within urban growth boundaries must allow at least one accessory dwelling unit on each single-family lot, subject only to reasonable siting and design standards.

Oregon prosecutes animal hoarding under ORS 167.325 through 167.333, with felony charges available when 11 or more animals are involved or domestic animals are neglected. The criminal framework applies in every county.

Oregon Department of Agriculture requires all beekeepers with five or more hives to register annually under ORS 602.090. Registration funds apiary inspection and pest monitoring programs that apply uniformly throughout the state.

Oregon law preempts cities and counties from enacting or enforcing breed-specific dog ordinances. ORS 609.319 prohibits any local regulation that classifies dogs as dangerous or restricts ownership solely on the basis of breed.

Oregon ORS 609.305 to 609.335 prohibits keeping non-native cats, bears, primates, crocodilians, and venomous reptiles as pets. The ban applies statewide and supersedes any conflicting local exotic pet ordinance.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife rules under ORS 496.012 and OAR 635-056 prohibit placing food to attract deer, elk, bears, or cougars. The statewide ban supersedes local feeding ordinances and applies on all property.

Oregon's statewide building code under ORS 455.040 governs structural separation distances tied to fire safety, while zoning setbacks remain local. The Oregon Residential Specialty Code sets fire-rated wall requirements based on lot line proximity that no municipality may weaken.

Structure height in Oregon is governed by the statewide Oregon Structural Specialty Code and Residential Specialty Code adopted under ORS 455.040. These set maximum heights by construction type and occupancy that cities cannot lower for code purposes, though zoning height limits remain local.

Oregon law uniformly allows adults 21 and older to grow up to four cannabis plants per household for personal use under ORS 475C.337. Cities and counties cannot prohibit or cap personal home cultivation more strictly than the statute.

Commercial drone operations in Oregon are governed by FAA Part 107 plus ORS 837.300-837.390. Public agency UAS must register with the Oregon Department of Aviation, and ORS 837.385 preempts most local commercial drone regulation.

ORS 837.300-837.390 govern recreational drone use in Oregon, banning weaponized UAS, restricting flights over critical infrastructure and private property, and largely preempting local drone-specific ordinances except those tied to law enforcement use.

ORS 653.025 sets a three-tier statewide minimum wage and ORS 653.017 preempts cities and counties from adopting different local minimums.

ORS 653.601 mandates paid sick leave statewide, and Paid Leave Oregon under ORS Chapter 657B provides paid family and medical leave benefits.

ORS 653.412 to 653.485 require large retail, food, and hospitality employers to provide advance schedules and predictability pay.

Oregon's Beach Bill (ORS 390.605-390.770) and Statewide Planning Goals 16-19 give the state primary control over development on ocean shores, estuaries, dunes, and coastal headlands. Local plans must conform to these goals, which DLCD enforces.

Oregon DEQ requires erosion and sediment control plans on construction sites of one or more acres under the 1200-C NPDES permit and OAR 340-041. State law sets minimum BMPs that bind operators statewide regardless of local code.

Oregon's Statewide Planning Goal 7 and ORS 197.180 require every city and county to adopt floodplain regulations meeting or exceeding FEMA National Flood Insurance Program minimums. State building code chapters bind floodplain construction statewide.

Oregon DEQ administers federally delegated NPDES stormwater permits statewide. Construction sites disturbing one or more acres and regulated MS4 cities must comply with DEQ's 1200-C and Phase I/II MS4 permits regardless of local rules.

Oregon's partition fence statutes (ORS Chapter 96) impose statewide rules requiring adjoining landowners to share costs of livestock fencing in livestock districts. The law applies uniformly and preempts inconsistent local cost-sharing rules between neighbors.

Oregon's residential pool barrier requirements come from the Oregon Residential Specialty Code (ORSC), adopted statewide under ORS 455.040. Local governments cannot weaken these minimum safety standards for pools, hot tubs, and spas serving one- and two-family dwellings.

Oregon law requires defensible space around structures in wildfire hazard zones, with the State Fire Marshal adopting uniform statewide standards under SB 762. Landowners must remove flammable vegetation near homes.

Oregon law restricts consumer fireworks to non-aerial, non-explosive devices and requires a State Fire Marshal permit for sale and display. Bottle rockets, firecrackers, and Roman candles are illegal statewide.

Oregon DEQ and Department of Forestry jointly regulate outdoor burning statewide, prohibiting open burning of garbage, plastics, and treated wood. Burn bans and seasonal restrictions are uniformly enforced through state agencies.

Oregon SB 762 (2021) directs the State Forestry Department to create a statewide wildfire hazard map classifying property risk and triggers defensible space and home hardening rules administered through state agencies.

Oregon issues concealed handgun licenses through county sheriffs under ORS 166.291, with statewide eligibility, training, and reciprocity standards.

Oregon law preempts most local firearm regulation but permits limited city and county rules in public buildings and on adjacent grounds.

Open carry of firearms is generally lawful in Oregon, but limited local ordinances may restrict loaded carry in incorporated public places.

Oregon allows firearms in private vehicles, but concealed loaded handguns inside a vehicle generally require a concealed handgun license under ORS 166.250.

Oregon Health Authority licenses every mobile food unit statewide under ORS 624 and OAR 333-150. County environmental health offices act as state agents to inspect and permit food trucks under uniform standards.

Oregon's domestic-kitchen exemption under ORS 616.706 lets home producers sell certain non-potentially-hazardous foods directly to consumers without a food establishment license, subject to a $50,000 annual sales cap and labeling rules enforced statewide by ODA.

Oregon licenses family child care homes through the Department of Early Learning and Care under ORS 329A.250-329A.450. State law preempts local zoning that would prohibit registered or certified family child care in residential dwellings.

Oregon does not mandate E-Verify use by private employers and has no statewide statute requiring electronic employment eligibility verification beyond federal I-9 rules.

Oregon enacted the nation's oldest statewide sanctuary law, ORS 181A.820, barring state and local agencies from using resources to enforce federal civil immigration law.

Oregon allows rainwater collection from impervious rooftop surfaces without a water right under ORS 537.141. The statute explicitly exempts rooftop harvesting, providing universal authorization across the state for residential and commercial uses.

On forestland, the Oregon Forest Practices Act (ORS Chapter 527) preempts local tree-cutting regulation. ORS 527.722 prohibits cities and counties from adopting rules governing forest practices on lands subject to the Act, leaving regulation to the State Board of Forestry.

Aircraft noise in Oregon is preempted by federal law and ORS Chapter 836, which gives the Oregon Department of Aviation regulatory authority over airports. Local ordinances cannot restrict overflight noise or set in-air sound limits.

Oregon's Right to Farm Act preempts local noise ordinances that target generally accepted agricultural practices, including livestock and farm dog noise. Cities cannot declare lawful farming activities a nuisance based on sound, but residential dog noise remains under local control.

Oregon DEQ adopted statewide industrial noise standards under OAR 340-035-0035, setting maximum allowable decibel limits for new and existing industrial sources. While DEQ enforcement was defunded in 1991, the rules remain on the books and are referenced statewide.

Oregon law uniformly governs how abandoned vehicles are tagged, towed, stored, and disposed of statewide. ORS Chapter 819 sets notice, lien, and auction procedures that local agencies must follow when removing vehicles from public or private property.

Oregon law requires landlords to have a qualifying reason to terminate most month-to-month tenancies after the first year. ORS 90.427 enumerates landlord-based and tenant-based just causes and mandates relocation assistance for no-fault terminations.

Oregon was the first U.S. state to enact statewide rent control. Under ORS 90.323 and 90.324, annual rent increases are capped at 7% plus the consumer price index, with a maximum ceiling adjusted yearly by the Department of Administrative Services.

ORS Chapter 215 establishes Exclusive Farm Use zones that limit non-farm development and preserve agricultural land statewide.

ORS 30.930 to 30.947 protect farm and forest practices from most nuisance and trespass claims when conducted on land zoned for those uses.

Oregon imposes a 1.5% statewide transient lodging tax on all short-term rentals under 30 days, applying universally to hosts and intermediaries regardless of city. Local lodging taxes may apply additionally.

Oregon law and the state constitution provide strong protections for political signs. ORS 260.695 prohibits removal of campaign signs from private property, and Article I Section 8 limits content-based regulation. Cities may regulate size and placement but cannot ban political messages.

HB 2509 bans most single-use plastic checkout bags statewide and requires a minimum charge for paper or thicker reusable bags at retailers.

SB 543 prohibits restaurants and food vendors from using polystyrene foam containers and bans the sale of polystyrene foam packing peanuts statewide.

ORS 459A.876 limits when restaurants and convenience stores may distribute single-use plastic straws, requiring customer request first.

Oregon ORS 105.880 to 105.890 declares unenforceable any deed restriction, covenant, or HOA rule that prohibits or unreasonably restricts the installation of solar energy systems on residential property.

Oregon requires electrical and structural permits for residential solar installations under the statewide building code. The Building Codes Division publishes a Simplified Solar Permit available to qualifying systems in every jurisdiction.

Oregon's Home Solicitation Sales Act (ORS 83.710-83.750) gives consumers a statewide three-day right to cancel door-to-door purchases over $25 and requires written cancellation notice from solicitors at the time of sale.

Oregon adopts the state-amended International Residential Code through the Oregon Residential Specialty Code, requiring 48-inch barriers around residential pools and spas deeper than 24 inches. Local jurisdictions cannot weaken these statewide minimums.

Oregon's uniform building code under ORS 455 requires structural and plumbing permits for in-ground and most above-ground pools. The Building Codes Division sets minimum standards that cities and counties must apply.

Oregon prohibits the sale or distribution of tobacco and inhalant delivery systems to anyone under age 21 under ORS 431A.175.

Oregon has no statewide flavored tobacco ban, but ORS 431A.190 authorizes counties and cities to adopt stricter local tobacco rules.

Oregon licenses tobacco and inhalant delivery system retailers and bans online or mail-order sales of vapor products to consumers.

Oregon's Recycling Modernization Act (SB 582, 2021) establishes a uniform statewide collection list and shifts recycling costs to producers through extended producer responsibility, taking effect July 2025 across all jurisdictions.

Oregon's statewide Heritage Tree Program under ORS 358.715 designates trees of historical, cultural, or biological significance through the Oregon Travel Information Council, providing recognition but limited regulatory protection.