Zoning and Development Ordinance

The Clackamas County Zoning and Development Ordinance, also known as the ZDO, is made up of the requirements and standards that are applied to determining land use in the county.

The Zoning and Development Ordinance (ZDO) initially became effective on July 14, 1980, replacing the prior Zoning Ordinance. The legislative history that appears at the end of each ZDO section begins with the adoption of Ordinance ZDO-226, which became effective on March 7, 2011. For information on amendments that became effective between July 14, 1980 and March 7, 2011, contact Clackamas County Planning and Zoning.

Every effort is made to keep this site accurate and up to date, however the current version on file at the offices of the Department of Transportation and Development is the final authority. For questions about interpretation of these regulations, please contact the Planning and Zoning Division at 503-742-4500.

View proposed amendments.

Section 100: Introductory Provisions

101Title
102Purpose and Scope
103Zoning Districts
106Authorizations of Similar Uses

Section 200: General Definitions

201General
202Definitions

Section 300: Urban and Rural Residential Districts

315Urban Low Density Residential (R-2.5, R-5, R-7, R-8.5, R-10, R-15, R-20, and R-30), Village Standard Lot Residential (VR-5/7), Village Small Lot Residential (VR-4/5), Village Townhouse (VTH), Planned Medium Density Residential (PMD), Medium Density Residential (MR-1), Medium High Density Residential (MR-2), High Density Residential (HDR), Village Apartment (VA), Special High Density Residential (SHD), and Regional Center High Density Residential (RCHDR) Districts
316Rural Area Residential 1-Acre (RA-1), Rural Area Residential 2-Acre (RA-2), Recreational Residential (RR), Rural Residential Farm Forest 5-Acre (RRFF-5), Farm Forest 10-Acre (FF-10), and Future Urban 10-Acre (FU-10) Districts
317Mountain Recreational Resort (MRR) and Hoodland Residential (HR) Districts

Section 400: Natural Resource Districts

401Exclusive Farm Use District (EFU)
406Timber District (TBR)
407AG/Forest District (AG/F)

Section 500: Commercial Districts

510Neighborhood Commercial (NC), Community Commercial (C-2), Regional Center Commercial (RCC), Retail Commercial (RTL), Corridor Commercial (CC), General Commercial (c-3), Planned Mixed Use (PMU), Station Community Mixed Use (SCMU), Office Apartment (OA), Office Commercial (OC), and Regional Center Office (RCO) Districts
511Village Community Service District (VCS)
512Village Office District (VO)
513Rural Tourist Commercial (RTC) and Rural Commercial (RC) Districts

Section 600: Industrial Districts

602Business Park, Light Industrial, and General Industrial Districts (BP, LI and GI)
604Rural Industrial District (RI)

Section 700: Special Districts

701General Provisions
702Open Space Management District (OSM)
703Floodplain Management District (FMD)
704River and Stream Conservation Area (RSCA)
705Willamette River Greenway (WRG)
706Habitat Conservation Area District (HCAD)
707Historic Landmark (HL), Historic District (HD), and Historic Corridor (HC)
708Mineral & Aggregate Overlay District (MAO)
709Water Quality Resource Area District (WQRAD)
710Sensitive Bird Habitat District (SBH)
711Government Camp Open Space Management District (GCOSM)
712Private Use Airport & Safety Overlay Zone
713Public Use Airport & Safety Overlay Zones
714Special Use Overlay District (SUO)

Section 800: Special Use Requirements

804Places of Worship
805Schools
806Home Occupations to Host Events
808Cemeteries and Crematories
813Recreational Vehicle Camping Facilities
815Produce Stands
817Auto Wrecking Yards and Junk Yards
818Surface Mining
819Recycling Centers, Transfer Stations, and Recyclable Drop-Off Sites
821Livestock
822Home Occupations
825Manufactured Dwelling Parks
827Drive-Thru Window Services
830Utility Carrier Cabinets
832Bed and Breakfast Residences and Inns
833Guest Houses
834Composting Facilities
835Wireless Telecommunication Facilities
836Home Occupations for Canine Skills Training
837Mobile Vending Units
839Accessory Dwelling Units
840Farmers' Markets
841Marijuana Production, Processing, and Retailing
843Accessory Historic Dwellings
844Multi-Use Developments
845Triplexes, Quadplexes, Townhouses, and Cottage Clusters

Section 900: General Provisions and Exceptions

903Setback Exceptions
904Height Exceptions

Section 1000: Development Standards

1001General Provisions
1002Protection of Natural Features
1003Hazards to Safety
1004Historic Protection
1005

Site and Building Design

1006Utilities, Street Lights, Water Supply, Sewage Disposal, Surface Water Management, and Erosion Control
1007Roads and Connectivity
1009Landscaping
1010Signs
1011Open Space and Parks
1012Lot Size and Density
1013Planned Unit Developments
1015Parking and Loading
1017Solar Access
1021Solid Waste and Recyclable Material Collection

Section 1100: Development Review Process

1102Design Review
1103Open Space Review
1105Subdivisions, Partitions, Replats, Middle Housing Land Divisions, Condominium Plats, and Vacations of Recorded Plats
1107Property Line Adjustments

Section 1200: Criteria for Discretionary Permits

1202Zone Changes
1203Conditional Uses
1204Temporary Permits
1205Variances
1206Nonconforming Uses and Vested Rights

Section 1300: Administrative Action Review Process

1307Procedures
1308Interpretation
1309Modification
1310Time Extension
1311Completion of Improvements, Sureties, and Maintenance