Property owners in unincorporated Clackamas County face new rules governing streams, hillsides, landslide zones and floodplains under a code rewrite headed for formal adoption in spring 2027.

The county is hosting a virtual town hall on Thursday, Oct. 15, to walk residents through the proposed changes and take questions. The session is open to anyone with a Zoom connection. A companion town hall covering rural regulation changes is set for Monday, Oct. 5, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

The project, known as ZDO-290, rewrites sections of the county's Zoning and Development Ordinance that deal with natural resources and natural hazards.

Oregon law now requires that land use regulations affecting housing meet what the state calls "clear and objective standards." The county's project page defines those as rules where any two people applying the same standard to a development would reach the same result.

Seven code sections are on the table. They cover river and stream conservation areas, the Willamette River Greenway, habitat conservation districts, water quality resource areas, hillside and open-space protections, and hazard rules for landslides, soil conditions, floodplains and fire risk.

Among the specific changes: the Board of County Commissioners directed staff to replace existing landslide hazard maps with new mapping from the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI).

The board also directed staff to repeal discretionary fire hazard regulations for housing in favor of existing code standards and to merge the Water Quality Resource Area District into the Habitat Conservation Area District.

The county plans to remove its Open Space and Parks section entirely, relocating some provisions to other parts of the code.

The changes apply only to new development or modifications to existing development. Properties already built are not affected. The county says the project will not change mapped resource inventories or the level of protection from development.

Principal Planner Joy Fields and Planning Director Jennifer Hughes have led the project, with draft amendments prepared by MIG Consultants and county staff.

The Clackamas County Planning Commission reviewed the drafts at an Aug. 24 study session. Fields wrote in an Aug. 17 memo to the commission that the October town halls will collect public input before the code is finalized.

Urban areas affected include unincorporated communities within the Portland Metropolitan Urban Growth Boundary, such as Oak Grove, Jennings Lodge, Mt. Scott, Sunnyside and the McLoughlin corridor.

The Oct. 5 rural session covers areas outside the boundary, which could include unincorporated communities such as Stafford.

The county plans to finalize the code updates between September and November, with formal adoption by the Board of County Commissioners scheduled for spring 2027.

To join the Oct. 15 town hall, visit the county's event page for the Zoom link and connection details (Webinar ID: 890 4638 9963). Residents can also reach the Planning and Zoning Division at 503-742-4500 or [email protected].