Transportation and Development

Projects funded through the Community Road Fund increase safety, relieve congestion and maintain local roads.

Quick Facts

What is the countywide vehicle registration fee?

The vehicle registration fee is a consistent source of local, countywide revenue that allows us to complete projects most important to our residents and businesses. Revenue from the fee funds the Community Road Fund program.

• Fees collected can only be used for road projects in Clackamas County.
• Clackamas’ vehicle registration fee is $30/year for most passenger vehicles ($2.50/month) and $15/year for motorcycles.
• In April 2022, the Board of Commissioners approved reducing the county fee for utility and travel trailers to $5/year. The lower fee is expected to go into effect by January 2023.
• Funds from the vehicle registration fee are dedicated to the county (50%), cities in the county (40%, distributed according to population) and strategic county-city partnership projects (10%, see Strategic Investment Fund in project list).

Clackamas County was the only county in the Portland metropolitan area without a local source of funds to maintain its roads and build improvements. With the most miles of roads, Clackamas County continues to receive the lowest amount of funding to maintain and improve roads, bridges, bike lanes, sidewalks, traffic signals and more. 

Videos

On Jan. 28, 2020 the OGLO Policy Committee took the following actions:

• Accepted the final report of the feasibility study
• Recommended the following next steps:
  • Take no further action on the proposed bridge alignments given the political realities with the recent withdrawal of the City of Lake Oswego from the process and that the current landing points are not supported by the communities at this time, and
  • Study pedestrian/bicycle crossings of the Willamette River on public or private land north and south of the City of Lake Oswego, consistent with adopted Clackamas County Transportation System Plan Project #2022 that identifies the project area for the bridge as being Sellwood to Oregon City.

Final Report (accepted by Policy Committee Jan. 28, 2020)

Executive Summary & Report
Appendices A-D
Appendices E-G

Policy Committee Meeting #4 - Jan. 28, 2020
Press release - Jan. 28, 2020

The CC HB2017 TAC was formed in response to the Oregon State Legislature’s passage of House Bill 2017, which established the Statewide Transportation Improvement Fund (STIF). 

Meetings

All meetings are open to the public and include time for public comment.

The Advisory Committee, made up of representatives from public transit agencies and diverse groups within Clackamas County, is responsible for:

• Reviewing proposed projects to be funded by the STIF funds in areas of Clackamas County outside of the TriMet district and
• Recommending projects that should be incorporated into the broader plan that will be submitted by TriMet (the qualified entity for the area, as specified in the law) to the Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC) for approval.

For more information about the Clackamas County HB2017 Transit Advisory Committee, contact: 

• Teresa Christopherson, Clackamas County Social Services, at teresachr@clackamas.us or 503-650-5718, or
• Karen Buehrig, Clackamas County Transportation Planning, at karenb@clackamas.us or 503-742-4683.

Statewide Transportation Improvement Fund (STIF)

The Statewide Transportation Improvement Fund (STIF) was approved by the Oregon Legislature as part of House Bill 2017, Keep Oregon Moving.  STIF provides a new dedicated source of funds to expand public transportation to access jobs, improve mobility, relieve congestion and reduce greenhouse gas emissions around the state.

STIF is funded by a new state payroll tax of one-tenth of one percent.  The average employee contribution of less than $1 per week is expected to generate $115 million each year for improved public transportation. 

STIF may be used to support the effective planning, deployment, operation and administration of public transportation funds, including:

• Creating new transit systems and services
• Maintaining or continuing transit systems and services
• Creating plans to improve public transit service
• Meeting matching requirements for state or federal funds used to provide public transportation services

The law requires the establishment of advisory committees to help the qualified entities (mass transit districts, transportation districts, Indian tribes or counties in which no part of a mass transit or transportation district exists) to advice on projects to be funded by STIF.

More information about STIF

An active commercial vehicle inspection program helps make the roads safer for the residents of Clackamas County and the motoring public. State law (ORS 810.530) authorizes weighing and inspecting commercial vehicles in excess of 10,000 pounds.

There are two levels of truck inspections, Level I, the highest level, and Level II. When a commercial motor vehicle passes a Level I inspection, the vehicle receives a CVSA (Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance) sticker and is considered to have received its annual inspection.

• Level I inspections
• Level II inspections
• Motor carrier marking requirements

Level I

Level I inspections are the most extensive, with an inspection of the operator qualifications and vehicle condition; they always involve 2 inspectors and usually take 20-60 minutes.

A Level I inspection includes a check of the following items.

For the driver

• driver’s license
• medical examiners certificate
• alcohol and drugs
• record duty of status, as required (log book)
• hours of service
• seatbelt
• vehicle inspection report (if applicable)

For the vehicle

• brake systems
• cargo securement
• coupling devices
• driveline or driveshaft
• exhaust systems
• frames
• fuel systems
• lights (head lamps, stop lamps, turn signals, tail lamps, and lamps or flags on projecting loads)
• steering mechanisms
• suspensions
• tires
• van and open top trailer bodies
• wheels, rims and hubs
• windshield wipers

Level II

A Level II inspection — known as a walk-around driver/vehicle inspection — includes most of items included in Level I, but excludes items that need to be inspected by getting underneath the vehicle.

Motor carrier marking requirements

In general, each side of the truck cab or other power unit must display:

• The carrier’s legal name or a single trade name of the business that owns or controls operations
• The carrier’s U.S. DOT number

The letters and numbers must “contrast sharply” with background colors and be large enough to be seen from a distance of 50 feet during daylight hours when the vehicle is stationary.

Exceptions:

• Requirements don’t apply to vehicles that weigh 26,000 or less (gross combination weight rating) if used only in intra-state private carriage, except:
  • Vehicles hauling hazardous materials of a type or quantity requiring placarding
  • Passenger vehicles with a seating capacity of 15 or more including the driver
• Carriers conducting for-hire operations with passenger vehicles with a seating capacity of 9 to 15, including the driver, are only required to display the U.S. DOT number.

Commercial vehicle permits support county and state residents and businesses by helping to ensure the safe and efficient travel of commercial motor vehicles on public roadways.

Many commercial vehicles require an over-dimensional permit, which allows a motor carrier to safely move a load that exceeds the maximum size and/or weight limits in state law. Permits can be provided for a single trip or for continuous operations. A permit spells out the conditions for moving the load, including routes, so the over-dimensional loads can be moved safely without mishaps.

• Single Trip Permit
• Clackamas County Road Permit

Vehicle Permit Types

Issued for an individual vehicle to travel on state or county roads.

The Motor Carrier Safety Program is committed to enhancing the safe and efficient movement of commercial motor vehicles to support a safe travel network and a productive economy.

We work to prevent fatalities and injuries related to the movement of large trucks (over 10,000 pounds) by enforcing safety regulations, issuing permits to motor carriers to travel in Clackamas County, and working with the motor carrier industry and the public to increase safety awareness.

What we do

• Issue motor carrier permits for commercial vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of over 10,000 pounds for Clackamas County
• Inspect commercial motor vehicles in Clackamas County
• Provide information needed by motor carriers to safely and legally travel in and through Clackamas County
  • Rules and regulations
  • Inspection lists
  • Maps of motor carrier routes
  • Educate motor carrier companies, the business community and the public about the importance of motor carrier safety

Maps and lists

Restricted roads, bridges and underpasses in Clackamas County

• Interactive map
• Printable map (pdf)
• Bridge restrictions list

Restricted roads in Oregon

• List

Motor Carrier Definitions

Axle Weight: The weight placed on the road of all of the wheels on the axle

Commercial Motor Vehicle: A motor vehicle or combination of motor vehicles used in commerce to transport passengers or property if the motor vehicle is a:

• Combination vehicle – has a gross combination weight rating or a gross combination weight of 26,001 or more, whichever is greater, including a towed vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating or a gross vehicle weight of more than 10,000 pounds, whichever is greater, or
• Heavy straight vehicle – has a gross vehicle weight rating or gross vehicle weight of 26,001 or more, whichever is greater, or
• Small vehicle – is designed to transport 16 passengers or more, including the driver, or
• Small vehicle – a vehicle of any size used to transport hazardous materials requiring placarding

Divisible Load: A load that is reducible by nature or can be readily dismantled

Gross Combination Weight Rating: The greater of…

• the value displayed on the FMVSS certification label, or
• the sum of the gross vehicle weight rating or the gross vehicle weights of the power unit and the towed unit, or any combination thereof, whichever is greater. (Exception: The GVWR of the power unit will not be used to define a commercial motor vehicle when the power unit is not towing another vehicle.)

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating: The value specified by the manufacturer as the loaded weight of a single vehicle.

Gross Weight: The total weight placed on the road by a vehicle or combination of vehicles, including the load

Group of Axle Weight: The total weight placed on the road by two or more axles spaced more than 8 feet apart (also known as the inner bridge)

Legal Axle Limit: Maximum allowable weights in Oregon, according to state law, are allowed the lower weight produced by using Table 1, Table 2 or Table 3 Method A or B

Non-divisible Load: A load or vehicle exceeding load/dimensional or weight limits allowed by state law or rules that, if separated into smaller loads, would compromise the intended use, destroy the value or make it unusable for its intended purpose

Sum of Axles: Addition of axle weights allowed by ORS 810.010 Table 1 and/or Table 2

Tandem Axle Weight: The weight placed on the road by all the wheels of two or more consecutive axles space more than 40 inches but no more than 96 inches (8 feet) apart, measured from center of axle

Wheelbase: The distance in feet and inches between two or more axles, measured to the nearest foot, with 6 inches being the next larger foot for determining weight

Clackamas County's Transportation System Plan (TSP) reflects all relevant national, state and regional transportation and planning requirements, and provides policies, guidelines and projects to meet transportation needs for residents, businesses and visitors in the unincorporated county for 20 years.

Learn about the TSP update looking ahead to 2045

Read the 2013 TSP

A Public Advisory Committee and a Technical Advisory Committee guided the two-year plan development process, based on extensive input from the public, the business community, planning and transportation experts, and public and private partners. The TSP addresses:

• More than 300 needed transportation projects, though funds are likely to be available for only a small percentage of the total
• The transportation system through a local perspective (rural and urban)
• Safety, health, equity and sustainability
• Integrating transportation with land use
• Active transportation (bicycling and walking) and accessibility needs
• The movement of freight
• Compliance with national and local regulations, including a change of intersection and roadway performance standards

TSP Goals

Documents

• TSP Maps, Tables and Figures
• Appendix B – Summary of Supporting Documents

For more information, please contact Long-Range Planning Manager Karen Buehrig at karenb@clackamas.us or 503-742-4683.

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A technology fee of 3% of the permit fee or $5.00, whichever is the lesser amount, will be charged to each permit in addition to the permit fee listed below