Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Gates, Oregon

Gates’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Gates city limits (Marion/Linn counties)

  • Zoning ordinance includes R (residential), CR (commercial/residential), IL (light industrial) and P (public) zones.
  • Amendments exist (e.g. Ord. No. 219, Aug 19, 2021); ordinance PDF is the city's posted current version.

  “to provide for single-family dwellings and their accessory uses and to permit, with conditional use approval, certain other uses which are necessary or compatible to residential living including multi-family residential development.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Gates city

  • Chapters 15-18 cover R, CR, IL and P zones.

  “in the residential, commercial-residential, industrial and public zones two recreational vehicles are permitted on a legal buildable lot when a transitional housing permit is obtained.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R (residential) zone inside Gates city

  • Duplex lots 16,000 sq ft where allowed
  • Multifamily max density one unit per 3,000 sq ft gross area
  • Additional lot area may be required to accommodate an approved septic system (section 14.110)

  minimum lot size R zone: >= 14000 square feet (duplex lots 16,000 sq ft) · minimum lot width: >= 70 feet

  “the minimum lot or parcel size in the r zone is 14,000 square feet, except where allowed, lots containing duplexes shall have a minimum of 16,000 square feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — CR (commercial/residential) zone inside Gates city

    “(4) the minimum lot area shall be 14,000 square feet. for each dwelling unit over two, the minimum area shall be increased 2,000 square feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R (residential) zone inside Gates city

  • Special setbacks in section 15.080 add one foot per foot of height above a threshold (see ordinance)
  • Other structures: side 10 ft, rear 15 ft

  front yard: >= 20 feet · side yard single-family: >= 5 feet (other structures 10 ft) · rear yard single-family: >= 10 feet (other structures 15 ft)

  “the minimum side yard depth shall be five (5) feet for single-family dwellings; all other structures shall maintain a minimum side yard of ten (10) feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — CR (commercial/residential) zone inside Gates city

    “(1) the front yard shall be a minimum of 20 feet. (2) each side yard shall be a minimum of ten (10) feet, except that on corner lots the side yard on the street side shall be a minimum of fifteen (15) feet. (3) the rear yard shall be a minimum of ten (10) feet.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  R (residential) zone inside Gates city

  maximum lot coverage: <= 50 percent

  “the maximum lot coverage, including the main building and any accessory structures, shall be 50 percent %.”

• Building heightSpecified

  R (residential) zone inside Gates city

  • Churches and public/semi-public buildings up to 70 ft with conditional use approval

  maximum height: <= 35 feet (churches and public or semi-public buildings up to 70 ft under conditional use)

  “in the r zone, no building or structure shall exceed 35 feet except churches and public or semi-public buildings may, when approved under the conditional use procedures, be built to a height of 70 feet.”

• Living in an RVTemporary only (with conditions)

  RV living/sleeping outside a designated RV park inside Gates city

  • Temporary-stay permit from the city required; once per vehicle per calendar year
  • Wildfire (Beachie Creek/Lionshead) transitional housing: two self-contained RVs on a legal buildable lot with a transitional housing permit
  • Designated RV areas within manufactured dwelling parks may not exceed 25 percent of net buildable area

  temporary-stay permit duration: <= 15 days (once per calendar year per vehicle)

  “provided, however, that a camper or recreational vehicle may be used for sleeping or living purposes outside of a designated recreational vehicle park for a period not to exceed fifteen (15) days, after the owner or occupant thereof has first secured from the city a temporary-stay permit.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Camper/RV sleeping outside designated RV parks inside Gates city

  • Temporary-stay permit required
  • Limited to 15 days, once per vehicle per calendar year

  temporary-stay permit duration: <= 15 days

  “the permit shall be issued for each vehicle or unit only once in each calendar year.”

• Manufactured homesAllowed (with conditions)

  Manufactured homes in the R zone inside Gates city

  • Must meet siting standards of the manufactured dwelling chapter (cited as section 13.040)
  • Manufactured dwelling subdivisions are conditional uses in R and CR zones; minimum 10 contiguous lots
  • Not sited in a historic district or adjacent to a historic landmark (section 13.070)
  • R zone dwellings require an enclosed garage or carport (Ord. 219)

  “(a) single-family dwellings and manufactured homes consistent with the requirements in section 13.040,”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Partitions, subdivisions and PUDs inside Gates city

  • Chapter 19 (land divisions) and PUD provisions (3-acre minimum PUD site) apply

  “the minimum lot area and dimension requirements established in this ordinance shall apply to new lots created as the result of a partitioning, subdivision or planned unit development approval”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Gates or Marion County directly.

• Building permit — Building permits inside Gates city
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Gates city
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Gates city
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Gates city
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside Gates city

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.