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Business Licensing & Operations in Oregon (2026)

63 rules on the books across Oregon, 18 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.

Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions

Secondhand Dealers

LAMC §21.12 + CA Bus & Prof Code requirements for secondhand dealers, including item-reporting to law enforcement and 30-day holding periods.

Albany

Significant Restrictions

In the City of Albany, Oregon, Albany Municipal Code § 7.90.030 requires a secondhand dealer special license before…

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Beaverton

Significant Restrictions

Secondhand businesses in Beaverton need a police-issued permit at each location before buying, trading, or reselling…

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Clackamas County

Significant Restrictions

Anyone buying and reselling used goods in unincorporated Clackamas County, from resale shops to used electronics…

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Eugene

Significant Restrictions

Eugene requires used merchandise dealers, buyers of secondhand jewelry, electronics, tools and similar goods, to log…

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Gresham

Significant Restrictions

Gresham requires secondhand and precious-metal dealers to hold a police-issued permit under GRC Article 9.15, with…

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Hillsboro

Significant Restrictions

Anyone buying, acquiring or reselling used regulated property in Hillsboro needs a City secondhand dealer or occasional…

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Multnomah County

Significant Restrictions

Multnomah County requires anyone buying or reselling used precious metals, electronics, tools or other regulated…

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Portland

Significant Restrictions

Portland requires a Revenue Division permit to buy or resell secondhand goods, with police vetting, ID checks on…

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Salem

Significant Restrictions

Salem requires a city license before anyone operates as a dealer in used merchandise, a term that covers junk dealers…

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Tigard

Significant Restrictions

In the City of Tigard, Oregon, no person or business can run a secondhand dealer business without a secondhand dealer…

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Washington County

Significant Restrictions

Washington County requires a Sheriff's Office permit before anyone buys or resells used precious metals, jewelry…

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Bend

Some Restrictions

In the City of Bend, anyone buying, selling, or trading secondhand goods must hold a City secondhand goods dealer…

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Corvallis

Some Restrictions

In Corvallis, anyone buying used merchandise such as electronics, tools, bicycles, or musical instruments from the…

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Lane County

Some Restrictions

Any unincorporated Lane County business that buys used goods for resale, from pawnshops to consignment stores, is a…

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Medford

Some Restrictions

Medford secondhand dealers need a City regulatory license, must report every purchase electronically within 24 hours…

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Springfield

Some Restrictions

In the City of Springfield, Oregon, anyone who buys, pawns or lends against secondhand goods, from jewelry to power…

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Pawnbrokers

State and city pawnbroker licensing, item-holding periods, interest-rate caps, and the LAPD-monitored CalGang/CAPSS reporting system.

Albany

Significant Restrictions

In the City of Albany, Oregon, Albany Municipal Code § 7.90.020 defines a pawnbroker as any business required by ORS…

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Beaverton

Significant Restrictions

Beaverton pawnbrokers, defined by the state license under ORS 726.040, hold a secondhand dealer permit but need only…

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Clackamas County

Significant Restrictions

Pawnbrokers in unincorporated Clackamas County operate under state law first: Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 726 sets…

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Salem

Significant Restrictions

Salem treats a pawnbroker as a dealer in used merchandise, the same class as junk dealers and secondhand dealers, under…

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Bend

Some Restrictions

In the City of Bend, pawn brokers are licensed 'dealers' under Bend Code Chapter 7.25, subject to standing police…

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Corvallis

Some Restrictions

In the City of Corvallis, pawnbrokers must hold both the state pawnbroker's license and a City Secondhand Dealer Permit…

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Hillsboro

Some Restrictions

Pawnbrokers in Hillsboro are licensed by the State of Oregon under ORS 726, and their loan, buy and consignment…

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Lane County

Some Restrictions

Lane County pawnbrokers are licensed by the state under ORS Chapter 726, but the county's used-merchandise-dealer…

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Medford

Some Restrictions

Medford pawnbrokers must hold a City regulatory license, log every transaction in the electronic pawn system, and hold…

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Portland

Some Restrictions

Portland treats pawnbrokers as secondhand dealers under Chapter 14B.90, requiring a City permit from the Revenue…

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Auto Repair on Residential Property

Whether commercial auto repair is permitted on residential property under LAMC §12.17.3, exemptions for occasional personal repair, and complaint enforcement.

Beaverton

Heavy Restrictions

Beaverton's Development Code flatly excludes major and minor automotive service businesses from the Home Occupation…

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Eugene

Heavy Restrictions

Eugene's home occupation standards flatly bar motor vehicle or motorcycle repair as a home business except on vehicles…

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Gresham

Heavy Restrictions

Gresham outright bans vehicle repair, maintenance, or dismantling, along with vehicle sales and industrial activity, as…

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Multnomah County

Heavy Restrictions

Unincorporated Multnomah County bars any repair or assembly of motor vehicles as a home occupation, no matter which…

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Portland

Heavy Restrictions

Portland's home occupation code prohibits running a vehicle repair or assembly business from a residential dwelling…

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Salem

Heavy Restrictions

Salem's UDC excludes automotive repair from home occupations entirely: Sec. 400.125(b)(3)(A) reclassifies 'automotive…

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Tigard

Heavy Restrictions

In the City of Tigard, Oregon, motor vehicle repair and painting are not allowed as home occupations under §…

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Hillsboro

Significant Restrictions

Hillsboro's nuisance code bars vehicle repair work at a private residence or on a public street unless the vehicle…

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Josephine County

Significant Restrictions

Rural Josephine County allows vehicle and boat repair, service, detailing, restoration or sales as a Type II home…

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Benton County

Some Restrictions

Benton County has no separate permit track for a residential auto repair business; it runs as a home occupation under…

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Lane County

Some Restrictions

Rural Lane County home occupations can repair, service, modify or assemble no more than two vehicles or trailers on…

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Towing Companies

Permits, fee caps, and notification requirements for tow companies operating in the city, including official police-rotation tow contracts.

Clackamas County

Significant Restrictions

Clackamas County Sheriff's deputies can tow a vehicle off county roads or county property without any advance warning…

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Eugene

Significant Restrictions

Eugene regulates non-consent tows from private parking facilities under EC 4.980 to 4.988: no kickbacks between lot…

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Gresham

Significant Restrictions

A Gresham lot owner may only have a vehicle towed by a company holding a city-issued PPI Tower's License, and every…

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Multnomah County

Significant Restrictions

Multnomah County licenses every tow truck operator through the Sheriff's Office, and Multnomah County Code § 15.118…

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Portland

Significant Restrictions

Portland requires tow companies to register as PPI (Private Property Impound) towers with the Bureau of Transportation…

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Salem

Significant Restrictions

A Salem police officer may order your car towed from private property without your consent if you're arrested there or…

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Albany

Some Restrictions

In the City of Albany, Oregon, a person who tows a vehicle at the request of the chief of police holds a lien on the…

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Corvallis

Some Restrictions

Corvallis Municipal Code Chapter 6.14 lets the Chief of Police have a vehicle towed for parking violations or unsafe…

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Hillsboro

Some Restrictions

A Hillsboro tow operator holds a lien on any vehicle towed for a parking violation and can keep it until towing…

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Beaverton

Light Restrictions

Beaverton runs an on-call rotation of towing companies for city-requested nonconsensual tows, letting the mayor set…

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Tigard

Light Restrictions

In the City of Tigard, Oregon, towing and storage charges for a vehicle impounded under § 10.28.160 are set in advance…

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