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By Oregon Property Owners Association
April 10, 2025
As the 2025 Legislative Session progresses, we’ve just crossed an important milestone: the first chamber deadline. This signifies that all bills had to pass out of their chamber of origin – either the House or the Senate – to remain active and advance through the legislative process. For property owners, this is a pivotal moment as it determines which proposals are alive or dead for the rest of the Session.
Looking ahead, the next major deadline is the second chamber cutoff on May 23rd, where bills must pass through the opposite chamber to continue toward becoming law. With this timeline in mind, it’s critical for property owners to stay informed and engaged.
Before we get into the nitty-gritty on what is alive and dead, we want to take a moment to congratulate property owners for making their voices heard this Session. Politically, the odds are stacked in the favor of NIMBYs, defenders of the status quo, and no-compromise-activists, yet the list of “wins” for private property owners is much longer than it should be.
Everyone loves an underdog story and Oregon’s rural property owners are holding the line against bad policies and attacks on private property rights. These results are a testament to the power of grassroots and what happens when folks stay engaged and use their voices effectively!
Wins for Oregon Property Owners So Far
As of the first chamber deadline, property owners have celebrated several key victories. These achievements reflect the collective power of OPOA supporters, homeowners, and rural Oregonians during this crucial legislative session.
Bills we OPPOSED and killed:
(DEAD) SB 79 [6] – Prohibited a county from approving new dwelling or replacement dwelling permits on land zoned for farm or forest use that was in high-wildfire areas, groundwater-restricted areas, land with wildlife habitat, land designated as a “wildlife corridor,” and land considered “high-value” farmland.
(DEAD) SB 78 [7] – Limited the size of replacement dwellings on resource lands, adding an extra barrier to rebuilding homes lost to disaster or decay.
(DEAD) SB 77 [8]– Added significant restrictions on home businesses sited on lands zoned for resource uses and in urbanized areas under county control.
(DEAD) SB 73 [9]– Prevented lands that were of such poor quality they did not meet the definition of “farmland” from being rezoned for higher or better use, preserving them as open space.
(DEAD) HB 3062 [10]– Required local governments to map “sensitive” areas within cities and then mandate a public health impacts analysis and public health hearings before any industrial, manufacturing, shipping, car repair, recycling, animal processing, or food processing activity could be permitted within 1,000 feet of the “sensitive” area.
(DEAD) HB 3013 [11]– Drastically changed standing requirements to allow third parties to “enforce” LUBA decisions in a way that wrongly disincentivized the construction of important, needed housing developments and other quasi-judicial land use applications.
(DEAD) HB 3906 [12]– Allows a utility to submit a land use application on private property they do not own and have not even begun the condemnation process on. This bill would have allowed utilities to skip the normal condemnation process, devalue private property, and skirt their responsibilities for providing just compensation to property owners.
Bills we SUPPORT and are pushing up the hill:
(ALIVE) SB 83 [13]– Repeals the state wildfire map and accompanying defensible space and home hardening requirements. Restores local control and leaves in place key funding for wildfire mitigation and community preparedness.
(ALIVE) SB 974 [14]– Streamlines and expedites the approval process for housing projects on lands zoned or planned for residential use inside UGBs. This bill is a critical step in solving our housing crisis and increasing housing production in our cities.
(ALIVE) HB 3858 [15]– Corrects an alarming LUBA opinion that declares potentially countless units of land as “illegal” thus preventing property owners from being able to improve or sell their land. HB 3858 clarifies that when a piece of land is split to create a new legal unit of land, the leftover portion of the original land kept by the property owners is still considered legal, even if it’s not specifically described in legal documents like deeds or sales contracts that establish the new plot.
(ALIVE) HB 2950 [16]– What started as a very concerning bill is now a very exciting bill thanks to efforts by OPOA and the Oregon Homebuilders Association. HB 2950 has been amended to require the LCDC to rewrite Statewide Planning Goal 1 (Public Involvement) and to specifically consider “Limiting exploitation that leads to litigation or unreasonable delay to quasi-judicial land use applications and decisions.”
Bills Property Owners Need to Watch
Despite notable victories, several bills of concern remain active and will require continued attention as they face the next chamber deadline.
Key challenges include:
(OPPOSE UNLESS AMENDED) SB 1154 [17] –Makes sweeping changes to how the state manages areas with impaired groundwater. Includes limitations on homes and structures in these areas, as well creates new authority for DEQ to enter property without landowner consent. See our blog post on this bill HERE [18].
(OPPOSE) SB 1153 [19]– Imposes new limitations on “water transfers” thus freezing property owners’ ability to obtain or manage water rights in most of the state. See our blog post on this bill HERE [20].
(OPPOSE) SB 427 [21]– Also imposes new limitations on “water transfers” thus freezing property owners’ ability to obtain or manage water rights in most of the state. See our blog post on this bill HERE [20].
(WATCH) SB 74 [22]– Changes the law of “navigability” to grant Department of State Lands (DSL) the authority assert title over private property when rivers change their normal course. OPOA worked to improve this bill with the -6 amendment and will be keeping an eye on this concept. You can read our blog post on this bill HERE [23].
(WATCH) SB 165 [24]– Grants DSL authority to assert title over historically filled lands in cities in perpetuity. OPOA worked to improve this bill with the -3 amendment to reduce the timeframe to only the next 3 years and will be keeping an eye on this concept.
OPOA is actively working on these bills and will continue to advocate for balanced solutions as the legislative process unfolds.
How to Stay Engaged
While property owners can take a breather for now, know that the Sesson is long from over. This means that active involvement is vital moving forward. Remember: any bill can continue to be amended, and “dead” concepts can be shoved into alive bills if their relating clause is broad enough. This is why OPOA’s advocacy team will not be taking our foot off the gas until sine die.
Here are steps you can take to stay involved and keep up the fight for private property rights!
Monitor Legislative Progress: Keep track of bills as they move through the second chamber deadline by subscribing to OPOA updates.
Participate in Advocacy: Reach out to your state representatives to voice your stance on key legislation and attend their town halls.
Support our Work: Supporting OPOA means we can keep fighting for private property rights and continuing to expand our team of advocates! You can learn more about supporting OPOA, the OPOA Legal Center, or the OIA Education Center, HERE [25].
By taking these actions, property owners can ensure their voices are heard and their rights are protected throughout the legislative process!