Deschutes County

Central Oregon, and one of the few counties to have adopted both optional rural housing statutes — recreational vehicles as rental dwellings, and rural accessory dwelling units. That combination makes it one of the more permissive counties in the state for a second dwelling on rural residential land, though the underlying farm and forest districts remain as restrictive as anywhere else.

Last verified August 16, 2026 · Community Development

District codes checked against the county code. EFU, F1, MUA10, RR10 and UAR10 confirmed against the county's published summary of its base zones, which gives a ten acre minimum for a standard land division in MUA10, RR10 and UAR10. SR 2.5 (Suburban Low Density Residential) and WTZ (Westside Transect Zone) are not on that summary page; they are confirmed separately from the county's rural accessory dwelling unit amendments, which extend that pathway to MUA-10, RR-10, SR 2.5, UAR-10 and the Westside Transect Zone.

Checked 2026-08-16 · source. District names and acreages change; confirm the district for a specific parcel with the county.

General planning information, not legal advice. Describes what generally applies in a district, not a specific property. Confirm with the county — how this works.

Rural districts

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

EFU

Exclusive Farm Use

Exclusive farm use

Land zoned primarily to protect commercial agriculture. New dwellings are generally not allowed unless a narrow statutory test is met, and those tests are fact-intensive rather than automatic.

See pathways

F1

Forest Use 1

Forest / conservation

Land zoned primarily to protect forest use and conservation values. New dwellings are generally not allowed except through narrow statutory tests, often with additional fire-related siting requirements.

See pathways

MUA10

Multiple Use Agricultural — 10 acre district

Mixed farm and forest

Land zoned for a mix of farm and forest use, typically in larger parcels. Dwelling approval is generally constrained and depends heavily on parcel history and the specific county's provisions.

See pathways

RR10

Rural Residential — 10 acre district

Rural residential

Land zoned to allow rural living on acreage. This is generally where a first dwelling is most likely to be achievable, and where second-dwelling options such as accessory dwellings or RVs are most likely to be available if the county permits them at all.

County materials describe this district as the primary one for low density rural housing, with a ten acre minimum lot size.

See pathways

UAR10

Urban Area Reserve — 10 acre district

Rural residential

An urban reserve district. Note that some pathways are specifically excluded within urban reserves.

See pathways

SR 2.5

Suburban Residential — 2.5 acre district

Rural residential

See pathways

WTZ

Westside Transect Zone

Rural residential

See pathways

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 16, 2026 · source
second dwelling rvAvailable with conditions
This county adopted the state option allowing a recreational vehicle to be rented as a dwelling by emergency ordinance on May 7, 2025, effective immediately (text amendment 247-23-000700-TA; Deschutes County Code 18.116.095(D) and 19.92.170). County materials describe it as applying in the RR-10, MUA, SR 2½, UAR-10 and WTZ zones on parcels of at least two acres, with a five acre minimum in certain areas of South County, where the property already contains a single-family dwelling occupied as the owner's primary residence, there are no other dwelling units, and no part of the main house is separately rented. The recreational vehicle and its pad are described as needing to sit within 100 feet of the primary dwelling, to be connected to water, electricity and wastewater disposal, to contain an operable toilet and sink, and to have a parking pad with a 20-foot radius of noncombustible ground cover; a structure housing it must be open on two or more sides. The enabling statute generally prohibits using the recreational vehicle for vacation occupancy or other short-term uses, so this generally describes a long-term tenancy rather than a holiday let.
Last verified September 9, 2026 · source
second dwelling aduAvailable with conditions
The Board of Commissioners adopted rural accessory dwelling units on November 1, 2023, with applications accepted from December 1, 2023 (text amendment 247-22-000671-TA). County materials describe it as applying in the rural residential exception areas — the Multiple Use Agricultural and Rural Residential zones — on a lot or parcel of two acres or greater with one single-family dwelling sited on it and served by a fire protection service provider, with the unit limited to 900 square feet of usable floor space, sited no more than 100 feet from the existing dwelling, and not used as a vacation rental. 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
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 16, 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.
Last verified August 16, 2026 · source
short term rentalAvailable with conditions
This county has an active short-term rental market and regulates the use, so short-term letting 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 separately that state law generally bars vacation occupancy of both a rural accessory dwelling unit and a rented recreational vehicle, so those two pathways generally cannot be combined with holiday letting.
Last verified August 16, 2026 · source
temporary occupancy during constructionGenerally available
County materials describe one recreational vehicle being usable as a temporary residence on a property that has been issued a building permit for a new dwelling. The recreational vehicle is generally described as needing connection to water, electricity and wastewater disposal. Use and connection to all utilities other than electric are generally described as needing to stop no later than 18 months after the dwelling permit was issued, or two months after the dwelling is completed, whichever comes first. A separate temporary use permit route of up to six months in a calendar year is described for property with no existing dwelling, which is a different arrangement from this one.
Last verified August 16, 2026 · source