Deschutes County passed a new rule on Nov. 1 allowing rural accessory dwelling units in certain unincorporated areas of Deschutes County. Owners of eligible properties can begin applying for rural ADU permits on Dec. 1.
The goal in passing the ADU rules was to provide additional housing stock in the county, according to Kyle Collins, an associate planner with Deschutes County, given that there is an overall housing shortage in the region. “There’s been a lot of general emphasis from our Board about having this moved over the line,” said Collins.
Courtesy Deschutes County” class=”uk-display-block uk-position-relative uk-visible-toggle”>
Courtesy Deschutes County
The ADUs will only be allowed in areas zoned as “rural residential zones,” which apply to five separate zoning designations in rural Deschutes County. The zones typically exist outside of urban growth boundaries. In most of Deschutes County, properties are required to be at least two acres or larger in order to qualify to build a rural ADU. Inside urban growth boundaries, such as those in Redmond and Bend, ADUs are already permitted.
The County’s web page for rural ADU information has a four-step guide on the ADU development process, including a set of steps regarding site research, site design, permitting process and construction and inspection.
The plan to permit rural ADUs in Deschutes County has been in the works since 2021. Allowing for this type of rural land use, which Oregon has historically protected for farm use, required the passage of two pieces of legislation, including SB 391, passed in 2021, and SB 644, passed in 2023. Those bills laid out a set of guidelines that counties adopting the provision are required to follow.
According to Collins, most of the rural ADU rules follow those state guidelines, however, some specific alterations were made to the rules.
SB 391 authorizes a county to allow the construction of one ADU within a rural residential zone, subject to certain restrictions and limitations, but doesn’t require a county to allow them. SB 644 amends requirements relating to wildfire hazard mitigation for the development of ADUs.
Rural ADUs are not allowed in urban reserves, cannot be subsidized, cannot be utilized for short-term vacation occupancy and can’t be located more than 100 feet from the existing single family dwelling.
Deschutes County will hold a public information open house on Nov. 30 to discuss the application process, development requirements and how the ADU rules came into place. The meeting will be available to watch virtually or attend in-person at the Deschutes Services building from 3-4pm.
“There’s been a fair amount of public outreach going through this process, which we formally kicked off in 2021,” said Collins. “But we’ve done so, I think, in a relatively careful way that should hopefully provide additional housing opportunities for people while maintaining the quality of life that people in Deschutes County have come to recognize.”