Tetherow, OR

Deschutes County enforces the Oregon Residential Specialty Code (ORSC) Appendix G for residential swimming pools, spas, and hot tubs, which requires a barrier at least 48 inches above grade with self-closing, self-latching gates that open outward away from the pool. Public, semi-public, and HOA pools are additionally regulated by the Oregon Health Authority under OAR Chapter 333, Division 60, which requires a four-foot enclosure with self-closing, lockable self-latching gates and latch controls at least 42 inches above grade. Deschutes County Community Development (Building Division) issues residential pool permits and verifies barriers at final inspection.

Deschutes County (the unincorporated areas surrounding Bend, Redmond, Sisters, and La Pine, including the unincorporated resort community of Sunriver) does NOT currently require a separate STR land-use permit or operating license to rent a single-family dwelling for stays of 30 consecutive days or less. However, every operator must (1) register with the Deschutes County Tax Office and obtain a Certificate of Authority through the MUNIRevs system before accepting reservations, (2) collect and remit the 8 percent Deschutes County Transient Room Tax, (3) collect and remit the 1.5 percent Oregon State Transient Lodging Tax under ORS 320.300 to 320.365, and (4) comply with Title 18 zoning use restrictions (ADUs on rural/EFU land cannot be used as vacation rentals under Oregon Senate Bill 391). Operators inside the City of Bend, the dominant STR market in the county, must instead obtain a Type I or Type II Land Use Permit AND an Operating License from the City under Bend Development Code 3.6.500; the 500-foot whole-house separation rule has effectively capped new Type II permits in most Bend residential zones since 2022. This entry covers unincorporated Deschutes County; the Bend regime is summarized for context.

Deschutes County, Oregon regulates floodplain development under Title 18, Chapter 18.96 (Flood Plain Zone) of the Deschutes County Code. The Community Development Department serves as the NFIP Floodplain Administrator for unincorporated Deschutes County under FEMA Community Identification Number 410055 (countywide panel suffix 41017C). Special Flood Hazard Areas are mapped along the Deschutes River, Little Deschutes River, Crooked River, Whychus Creek, Tumalo Creek, and Paulina Creek, where snowmelt, ice jams, and high desert canyon flooding produce flood risk. The current Flood Insurance Study and Flood Insurance Rate Maps for Deschutes County and Incorporated Areas have an effective date of September 28, 2007.