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Linn County staff weigh use of aerial imagery to find unpermitted work; supervisors raise privacy and liability concerns
Summary
Planning staff described how aerial imagery and GIS could flag unpermitted construction, while supervisors and staff raised privacy, insurance and implementation concerns. No formal action was taken; staff suggested meeting with the assessor to set expectations.
Charlie Nichols, planning and development, told the Linn County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 18 that county staff are exploring how aerial imagery and GIS could help identify unpermitted structures and reduce field visits.
The proposal drew questions from supervisors and members of the public about privacy, potential liability and how the assessor's office would be informed. Nichols said the assessor already receives building-permit data from planning staff but that counties could use year-to-year aerials to spot new structures that lack permits.
"When we have a building permit applied for that information goes to the assessor's office," Nichols said. "As for using aerial images to flag buildings that don't have permits or haven't been assessed yet...It can be done. There are other jurisdictions that are doing that." He added that comparing an aerial from 2023 to 2024 can show that "this structure is here. It wasn't there last year."
Supervisors and at least one public commenter urged caution. "I can't say I'm in favor of us monitoring residents from above. I think that's a violation of privacy to some extent," a supervisor-style speaker said during the public discussion. Other supervisors said benefits exist but stressed concerns about how imagery would be used and stored.
Nichols outlined practical consequences should the county identify many unpermitted structures by remote sensing: staff would face a large compliance workload and homeowners might be required to bring completed work up to code. "It does then put people in kind of an awkward situation of now we're trying to inspect something that's already fully built," he said. Nichols also noted insurers increasingly ask for proof of permits for certain work such as roofs, and that homeowners are contacting the department for permit records.
On next steps, Nichols recommended meeting with the assessor to set expectations before any countywide aerial-identification program proceeds. He also flagged potential state-level privacy and legal questions that would need review.
No motion or vote was recorded on the topic during the meeting.
