Portland City Council took up a first reading Wednesday to update city code by adopting the State of Oregon building codes by reference, a move staff and the homelessness and housing committee said will reduce repetitive ordinance updates and improve legal clarity.

The ordinance would reference state codes for building, plumbing, electrical, and mechanical regulations (noted in the staff summary as Titles 24–27). "These amendments bring our city code into alignment with state law by referencing the Oregon building codes directly rather than listing year-specific additions," Councilor Carmen Avalos said during the committee summary.

Amendment and public testimony: Councilor Dunphy submitted an amendment, presented by Madeline West, that narrows the city's incorporations-by-reference and removes obsolete references — notably language that applied to recreational vehicles after 2019 state changes. Jodi Orson of Portland Permitting & Development said many jurisdictions already point directly to Oregon Administrative Rules to avoid repeated updates. Code reviewer Terry Harris testified in support, urging methodical code hygiene and noting errors in other sections of city code where outdated references persist.

Why it matters: Adopting the state code by reference simplifies future compliance with state law, reduces the need for annual city code tweaks, and aims to prevent contradictions between city and state requirements. The Dunphy amendment responds to a public code review that identified inconsistencies in how the city references state rules.

Next steps: The ordinance will return for a second reading. The Dunphy amendment passed in council committee and was approved in council committee votes; the item is scheduled for a future second-reading vote where council will consider the amendment and the full ordinance.

Quoted passage: "Code hygiene and maintenance is a huge boring chore, but it's necessary," said Terry Harris, who added that the city needs methodical, accurate updates to incorporations by reference.