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Commissioners adopt ordinance aligning county property-line adjustment rules with state law
Summary
The Board adopted Ordinance 2025-017 by emergency to remove a local 10% area-reduction limit and apply Oregon statute for property line adjustments involving substandard lots.
The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners adopted Ordinance No. 2025-017 by emergency vote, amending county zoning procedures for property line adjustments and minor variances to align local code with state law.
Nicole Mardell, senior planner, told the board the package removes local criteria that go beyond state law and would instead apply "Oregon revised statute 92 1 92," streamlining the process for property-line adjustments on parcels smaller than minimum lot size. Mardell said the county's earlier 10% area-reduction rule was intended to preserve standard-size lots but now creates barriers for straightforward corrections such as fences or historic survey issues.
The planning commission held a public hearing on July 24 and recommended unanimous approval; the staff report noted one written comment in support with minor suggested changes incorporated.
Attorney Adam Smith, representing community clients, told commissioners, "I personally support this amendment. I think there will be a number of people in Deschutes County who support this amendment," and urged approval.
Commissioners moved and seconded first and second reading by title and then approved emergency adoption. The public record at the meeting shows unanimous affirmative votes by the attending commissioners; Commissioner Dares was noted as absent from the meeting.
Under the ordinance, property-line adjustments that meet the requirements of the state statute would not require variances under local code. Staff said the amendments are intended to reduce process complexity for property owners correcting historical survey and parcelization issues.
The board did not introduce additional local limitations; it adopted the ordinance to take effect immediately under emergency provisions, subject to any external appeal rights noted in the record.
Staff will implement the ordinance change and apply the state standards when reviewing future property-line-adjustment applications.
