A guide to understanding county services

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From libraries full of books, rivers flowing with clean water and roads safe to drive on, we are behind a lot of the invisible work that makes our community a great place to live. Our goal is to deliver essential services to Clackamas County residents, and we want to make them easy to access. Read below for an overview of some of our most requested services and how to get connected with them. 

We provide health care near you

doctor gives patient a check up

Medical and Dental Care — For high-quality medical and dental care near you, Clackamas County Health Centers offers fees on a sliding scale to eligible uninsured and underinsured people. No one is refused care due to an inability to pay. For more information, call 503-655-8471 or visit www.clackamas.us/healthcenters.

Mental Health — If you or someone you love is experiencing a mental health crisis, call 503-655-8585 for 24/7 help. To get connected with longer-term services and referrals, call 503-742-5335.

Women, Infants and Children (WIC) — WIC is a national program that helps low-income women, infants, and young children by providing nutritious foods, information on healthy eating, and referrals to health care. Learn more by calling 503-655-8476 or visiting www.clackamas.us/publichealth/wic.html.

Vaccines — Life-saving vaccines are available through the county. To keep up to date on the latest information on vaccines, visit www.clackamas.us/publichealth/immunizations.html

Resources for seniors and those with disabilities — The Clackamas County Aging and Disability Resource Connection is a free service that connects people with a variety of needs with services. You can reach them at 503-650-5622. 

Housing and income assistance for those in need

Clackamas County Coordinated Housing Access — We nicknamed them CHA, and we refer to them as the starting point for housing and support services. This is the place to go for anyone needing  emergency, transitional, or permanent housing referrals. Visit www.clackamas.us/communitydevelopment/cccha.html or call 503-655-8575 and leave a message. 

Utility Support — As funding allows, this program helps families who are behind on their utility bills. For more information, call 503-650-5640 or visit www.clackamas.us/socialservices/energy.html.

Public safety is important to all of us

road crews improving the road

If you’re in immediate danger or witnessing a crime in progress, call 9-1-1. The non-emergency number is 503-655-8211.

Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office — The Sheriff’s Office has a variety of resources, education, and training to keep you safe. Learn more at www.clackamas.us/sheriff.

Road Concerns — Help us keep county roads safe by reporting safety issues like a missing stop sign, standing water or a dead deer on the road, by calling our Transportation Maintenance Department (Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) at 503-557-6391. If it is after hours, call the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office non-emergency number at 503-655-8211. If it’s not urgent, you can submit the issue via our online form at www.clackamas.us/transportation/roadconcern.

Clackamas Women’s Services — Anyone who is in immediate danger of domestic violence should call 9-1-1. For those looking for supportive resources including shelter, counseling, and more, Clackamas Women’s Services has a 24-hour crisis and support line at 888-654-2288 or visit their website at www.cwsor.org

Death and taxes — We maintain important records

Two people meet with staff at customer service desk to discuss permit needs

Taxes – Confused about your property tax bill or how to pay it? The Assessment and Taxation Department is here to administer state property tax laws, appraise property, and provide mapping services. If you have any questions, contact our customer service team at propertytaxinfo@clackamas.us or 503-655-8671. www.clackamas.us/at

Permitting — A permit is required to build, move, or demolish any one- or two-family dwelling or related structure in the county. That includes adding a room, garage, shed bigger than 200 feet, finishing a garage or attic, cutting new windows or doors, removing walls, building a stairway, building a deck above 30 inches, installing a fence more than eight feet high or other structural changes to your property. Depending on the complexity of your project, you may also need to apply for plumbing, electrical, grading, manufactured home, or mechanical permits. In unincorporated Clackamas County, the county is responsible for issuing building permits, call 503-742-4240. In cities, the jurisdiction issuing permits varies between the city and the county by type of permit: call Development Services at 503-742-4400, email dtdcustomerInfo@clackamas.us. For more information on anything related to permits, visit www.clackamas.us/building.

Others

We have created step-by-step instructions for the following: 
•    Marriage license
•    Birth certificate
•    Death certificate
•    Passport

Did you know?

people research at the law library

Law Library — The Alden E. Miller Law Library is open to everyone and provides free legal research databases, sample legal forms, and more. Located on Main Street in downtown Oregon City, it was established in 1927 to help provide equal access to justice. Learn more at www.clackamas.us/lawlibrary

County Parks — Reserve your spot to spend the night at one of the county’s overnight camping destinations. In addition to many day-use parks, Barton, Feyrer, and Metzler have a total of 207 camping sites between them. Enjoy the outdoors, but stay close to home! You can reserve a spot at www.clackamas.us/parks

Veterans Services — The goal? Help service members, veterans, and their families navigate the U.S. Veterans Administration system to file for disability compensation. The list of health conditions that qualify for VA compensation changes often. A “no” from the VA yesterday may be a “yes” today – you owe it to yourself to visit us if you haven’t recently. For more information, visit www.clackamas.us/socialservices/veterans.html or call 503-650-5631.

Where to start

If you’re not sure how get help from the county, here are two ways to get started:

  • Fill out the form at www.clackamas.us/contactus and we’ll help direct you. 
  • Visit our department A-Z webpage and see a list of all our phone numbers at www.clackamas.us/departments  
  • Please note that many county departments are open Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Check their hours on the website before coming to their office.