Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Durham, Oregon

Durham’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Durham city limits (Washington County, OR)

  • Code revised November 13, 2025; the city also administers a zoning map (section 2.2).

  “chapter 2 describes the various zoning districts that are part of the city's comprehensive land use plan and the uses allowed outright and with conditions in those zoning districts.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Durham city

  • Districts: SDR, MDR, MDDO, IP, OP, BPO, NR, NRO.

  “2.11 industrial park (ip) district 15 2.12 office park (op) district 16 2.13 business park overlay (bpo) district 17 2.14 natural resources (nr) district 18 2.15 natural resources overlay (nro) district 18”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single Dwelling Residential (SDR) district inside Durham city

  • Exception for planned residential developments.
  • Townhouse minimum lot area is 1,500 square feet.
  • Cottage cluster minimum lot size 10,000 sq ft (7.11.4).
  • MDR/MDDO standards may vary.

  minimum lot area SDR: >= 10000 sq ft (planned residential development)

  “the minimum lot area in the sdr district shall be 10,000 square feet except in a planned residential development. the minimum lot area for townhouses is 1,500 square feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Residential districts (SDR) inside Durham city

  • Rear setback 20 ft detached, 15 ft attached; flag-lot detached structures 10 ft from all property lines.
  • Projections up to 5 feet permitted for balconies, chimneys, porches, cornices.
  • No temporary structures in front or side setbacks.

  front setback: >= 20 feet · side setback SDR: >= 10 feet · corner setback SDR: >= 20 feet

  “the minimum setback from the rear property line shall be 20 feet for detached dwelling units and 15 feet for attached units. detached residential structures on flag lots shall be set back at least 10 feet from all property lines.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Residential districts inside Durham city

  • Chimneys and antennae may be 15 feet above allowed height.
  • Cottage clusters limited to 25 feet.

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet above average grade (cottage cluster 25 ft)

  “the maximum building height shall be 35 feet above average grade. the maximum height for chimneys and antennae shall be 15 feet above the allowed building height.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile/manufactured homes in SDR district outside a manufactured home subdivision or park, inside Durham city

  • Must meet site design standards, concrete foundation, 3:12 roof pitch, residential-like siding/roofing, insulation certification, garage of like materials, and at least two design features.

  minimum floor area: >= 1000 sq ft

  “a mobile or manufactured home sited in the sdr district and outside of a manufactured home subdivision or mobile home park shall comply with the site design standards of this code and shall be: 7.5.1.1 multi-sectional ("double wide" or wider) and enclose a floor area of not less than 1,000 square feet;”

• Accessory dwellingsAllowed

  ADUs in residential districts inside Durham city

  • Section 7.1 sets further ADU standards (not fully reviewed); ADU is listed as outright use in SDR.

  “an accessory dwelling unit (adu) is allowed in a residential district to create new housing units”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  New development inside Durham city

  • Water extended at property owner's expense; sanitary and storm sewer extended per section 3.8.2 under Clean Water Services standards (not fully quoted).
  • Section states extension to availability at property line; an explicit mandatory-connection rule was not located.

  “the city's public water supply shall be extended if necessary and at the property owner's expense so as to be available at the property line of each lot”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions inside Durham city

  • Expedited land divisions follow ORS 197.360 et seq.
  • Final plats require survey detail per ORS 92.050 and the Washington County surveyor.

  “an application for approval of a tentative plan, for a land division other than for an expedited land division or a property line adjustment, and for an application to substantially modify an already approved tentative plan for a land division, shall be reviewed by a type 2 process.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Land uses in any zoning district inside Durham city

  • Access may be via recorded easement acceptable to the city attorney.

  “a land use in any zoning district shall provide for vehicle and pedestrian paved access to public right of way”

• Permit processPartial

  Land use applications inside Durham city

  • Land use procedures (Types 1-4) published in chapter 9; building permit process not found.

  “type 3 is a process for review and decision after notice and public hearing by the planning commission”

Still unanswered

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

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