Clackamas County

Rural districts

Local district codes vary between counties. Each maps to a broader class that determines which pathways generally apply.

Pathways in this county

• raw holdGenerally available

  Holding the land without placing a dwelling on it is generally available. But a parcel in a farm or forest district is generally not idle land in the way the phrase suggests: it is usually under farm or forest special assessment, which is why the tax bill is small relative to the acreage. That assessment is tied to the land continuing in its qualifying use, the potential liability generally passes to a buyer on sale rather than staying with the seller, and disqualification generally adds additional tax to the next roll — for designated forestland, the difference between five years of tax paid and what would have been paid at real market value. Buying such a parcel and simply letting it sit is therefore the plan most likely to trigger that, rather than the safest one.

  Last verified August 16, 2026 · source

• raw holdGenerally available

  Holding the land without placing a dwelling on it is generally available. Under Oregon’s assessed value limit, the tax base on unimproved land generally grows slowly until new construction occurs.

  Last verified August 15, 2026 · source

• second dwelling rvAvailable with conditions

  This county adopted the state option allowing a recreational vehicle to be used as a second dwelling, effective September 2024. County materials describe it as applying to land zoned for single-family residential use in unincorporated areas, either inside the Portland Metro urban growth boundary, or outside an urban growth boundary and outside an urban reserve. The recreational vehicle is generally described as a titled vehicle with a set-up floor area of no more than 400 square feet that has not been rendered structurally immobile, and it generally must be connected to electricity, potable water, and either public sewer or an on-site wastewater system. The county's page no longer lists an application fee, so confirm the current one. Note that the enabling statute generally requires a single-family dwelling occupied as the owner's primary residence on the same property, generally does not permit other dwelling units or renting out the primary dwelling, and generally prohibits using the recreational vehicle for vacation occupancy or other short-term uses — so this pathway generally describes a long-term tenancy rather than a holiday let.

  Last verified September 9, 2026 · source

• second dwelling aduAvailable with conditions

  The county allows rural accessory dwelling units under Section 839 of its Zoning and Development Ordinance, effective September 3, 2024. County materials name the RA-2, RRFF-5, FF-10, RR and FU-10 districts, and RA-1 inside designated unincorporated communities, on a lot of two acres or greater outside an urban reserve that carries one single-family dwelling and is served by a fire protection service provider. FF-10 shares a class here with AG/F, which the county does not name, so a parcel mapped AG/F is outside the allowance as described. The unit is limited to 900 square feet, sited within 100 feet of the dwelling, built as a permitted dwelling rather than a recreational vehicle, and not used as a short-term rental; county materials describe it as proceeding to building permits without a land use approval in the usual case. Under state law a property generally may have either an accessory dwelling unit or a rented recreational vehicle, but not both.

  Last verified September 9, 2026 · source

• second dwelling aduNot yet researched

  County materials for rural accessory dwelling units under Section 839 name the RA-2, RRFF-5, FF-10, RR and FU-10 districts and RA-1 inside designated unincorporated communities. AG/F, which shares a class here with FF-10, is not among them. Whether Section 839 itself reaches AG/F has not been established here, so this is recorded as an open question rather than as a no.

  Last verified September 9, 2026 · source

• temporary occupancy during constructionNot yet researched

  Counties commonly offer some form of temporary occupancy arrangement while a permitted dwelling is under construction, but this county's specific provisions were not confirmed. Treat this as an open question rather than as an available option.

  Last verified August 15, 2026 · source

• primary dwellingAvailable with conditions

  In farm and forest districts a new dwelling depends on qualifying under one of several statutory routes, rather than on the district designation alone. The routes generally in play are a forest template dwelling, where a 160-acre square centred on the tract contains enough lots and dwellings that existed on 1 January 1993 — between three and eleven other lots depending on soil productivity, alongside three dwellings still standing; a lot of record dwelling, turning on how the parcel was created and how long it has been held; a nonfarm dwelling on farm land shown to be generally unsuitable for farm use; and replacement of a lawfully established dwelling. Each is decided by the county on evidence. The template route turns on what surrounds a tract rather than on the tract itself, so two parcels in the same district can reach opposite answers — and neighbouring houses are not evidence either way, since much rural housing predates the statewide planning system entirely.

  Last verified August 16, 2026 · source

• primary dwellingAvailable with conditions

  Rural residential districts are generally the most likely rural districts to support a first dwelling, subject to the county's development standards, approved sanitation, legal access and applicable setbacks. Approval is still a county determination rather than an entitlement.

  Last verified August 15, 2026 · source

• non resource rezoneAvailable with conditions

  Changing the plan designation and zoning of resource land is generally a long, costly and uncertain undertaking rather than a routine application, and it is generally only worth considering by someone who already owns the property. State law generally expects rezoning of individual farm or forest tracts to occur through a county or region wide legislative review, through a goal exception meeting stringent criteria, or by demonstrating the property does not meet the definition of agricultural land. Market demand alone is generally not sufficient grounds. Anyone contemplating this should expect to engage a land use attorney before spending money on it.

  Last verified August 15, 2026 · source

• short term rentalAvailable with conditions

  This county operates a short-term rental regulatory program for unincorporated areas, so short-term rental generally requires attention to county rules in addition to any lodging tax obligations. Note that this pathway presupposes a lawfully established dwelling to let — on bare land it generally becomes relevant only once a dwelling exists. Note also that where a second dwelling is an accessory dwelling unit or a rented recreational vehicle, state law generally excludes vacation occupancy of that unit.

  Last verified August 15, 2026 · source