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To comply with state law, Clackamas County must amend the county code related to natural resources and natural hazard areas to meet new standards for development, including housing.
As we review and amend our zoning code to have a clear and objective pathway for housing development, it will create clear and objective pathways for all development.
These new “clear and objective standards” are now required for nearly every type of land use regulation that applies to housing development.
Clear and objective standards are terms, definitions and measurements that provide for consistent interpretation of a regulation. In other words, any two people applying the same standard to a development would get the same result. If a rule is clear and objective, then there is no need for a land use reviewer to use their discretion in interpreting the standard.
Meeting the goal for clear and objective standards will provide ease of use and efficiency for the development community and for staff supporting development in Clackamas County.
Join a town hall
If you'd like to learn more about these proposed land use changes, join us at a town hall. Staff will provide a presentation then open for questions from the audience.
Provide feedback online by Dec. 15
Another way to learn more about the land use focus areas and ways the regulations might change to be more clear, and to provide feedback is through our virtual environment for engagement. Provide input through Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2026.
Project schedule
The four major milestones of this project include:
- June – Oct. 2025 | Code audit and concepts: A consultant will identify update needs summarized in an audit with initial recommendations. The Planning Commission reviewed and commented on the audit in November, and December 2025. The Board of County Commissioners provided direction on the policy questions highlighted by the audit in March 2026.
- Nov 2025 – April 2026 | Initial draft code updates:A first draft of the code amendments will be completed based on the findings and initial recommendations from the audit, initial input from the Planning Commission, and direction from the Board of County Commissioners. The Planning Commission will review and comment in Fall 2026.
- May – Dec. 2026 | Revised code updates: Based on feedback from the Planning Commission, stakeholder and community input, a revised set of code amendments will be provided to the Planning Commission for a second round of review.
- Jan. 2026 – April 2027 | Adoption: Finalize code updates and prepare for adoption, scheduled for spring 2027.
Applicable sections of code
Updates to other code chapters may be identified through the process. This project intends to avoid updates to the mapped inventories and changes to the level of protection from development. Rather, the code updates aim to clarify the existing regulations that apply to the resource inventories for the purposes of meeting the state’s clear and objective requirements for housing.
- River and Stream Conservation Areas (RSCA – ZDO 704) – Areas adjacent to rivers and streams intended to protect water quality and river habitat outside the Urban Growth Boundary. .
- Willamette River greenway (WRG – ZDO 705): Areas adjacent to the Willamette River intended to protect water quality and habitat.
- Habitat conservation area districts (HCA – ZDO 706): Mapped wetlands, riparian corridors and wildlife habitat inside the Urban Growth Boundary.
- Water quality resource areas (WQRA – ZDO 709): Mapped wetland and riparian corridors inside the Urban Growth Boundary.
- Protection of natural features (ZDO 1002): Mapped areas of natural resources and natural hazards including hillsides, open spaces and specific natural areas.
- Rural Residential Zones (ZDO 316 and 317) Such as the Mountain Recreational Resort District, a Low Density Residential zoning district regulated by the Mount Hood Community Plan
- Hazards to safety (ZDO – 1003): Mapped areas of mass movements and landslides, soil, floodplain, and fire hazards.
- Open space and parks (ZDO 1011 and 1103): Areas identified as Open Space on Comprehensive Plan Maps and can include many of the natural resources discussed above.
Applicable areas and land uses
Housing regulations in ORS 197A.400 apply to:
- All land within an urban growth boundary;
- Land within unincorporated communities designated in a county’s acknowledged comprehensive plan after December 5, 1994;
- Rural Industrial and Rural Commercial;
- Areas zoned for rural residential use.
Examples of land use regulation changes in the rural area include:
- Rivers and streams outside Metro: Restructures river and steam protection rules from several sections to one protection program, and clarifies setback requirements for development near waterways.
- Deer and elk winter range: Establishes clear standards addressing proximity of development to roads, driveway length and shared driveways for land divisions to meet habitat protection requirements.
- Hazards to safety: Reduces hillside and landslide regulations from several sections to one protection program, creates measurable thresholds for housing development and establishes standards when developing an existing property.
- Fire hazards: Removes unclear land use requirements for fire hazard standards for housing development. All building code and fire code requirements remain.
- Mt. Hood wetlands: Reduces wetland protection rules from several sections to one protection program, and clarifies wetland boundary rules for development.
Examples of proposed land use regulation changes in the urban area include:
- Habitat and water quality inside Metro: Restructures habitat and water-quality resources protection from several sections to one protection program and clarifies conservation and water quality standards.
- Willamette River Greenway: Clarifies specific requirements for greenways and moves standards for vegetation and riparian protections to the habitat and water quality section of the code.
- Hazards to safety: Reduces hillside and landslide regulations from several sections to one protection program, creates measurable thresholds for housing development and establishes standards when developing an existing property.
- Fire hazards: Fire hazards: Removes unclear land use requirements for fire hazard standards for housing development. All building code and fire code requirements remain.
- Open space: Removes duplicative requirements for greenway, habitat, rivers and streams, floodplains and natural hazards.
Stay connected
- Sign up for project email list
- Attend Planning Commission work session meetings
- Attend a virtual town hall meeting
