City of Beaverton Code Services

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City of Beaverton Code Services

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Standards for Maintenance of Residential Buildings

Who Cares if a Residential Building is Maintained?

Apartment without trash service

Beaverton has recently adopted a “Residential Property Maintenance” code. The purposes of the code are to protect the health and safety of Beaverton residents, prevent deterioration of existing housing, preserve and enhance the quality of life in residential neighborhoods and prevent or reduce the possible spread of “Urban Blight”. Urban Blight is a condition whereby the deterioration of one property tends to reduce the value of neighboring properties. Poorly maintained residential buildings can adversely impact property values, lead to increased vacancy rates, and increase urban blight.

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Are All Buildings Covered by This Ordinance?

Poorly maintained house

All residential buildings, or “dwellings”, are covered by this ordinance. That includes single-family houses, duplexes, and apartments. The code standards apply to both rental properties and owner-occupied dwellings.

Why Should Anyone be Concerned if a Residence is not Being Maintained?

Unmaintained swimming pool
  • Poorly maintained residential buildings reduce the owner’s return on investment, make living circumstances less desirable, and may reduce the value of surrounding properties.
  • Poorly maintained residential buildings may expose the occupants to avoidable dangers. Children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to being injured at home.

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Property Owners’ Responsibilities

Property owners must maintain residential buildings to at least the minimum standards of the code. All dwellings must be provided with current services for electricity, water, sanitary sewer, and the weekly removal and disposal of trash.

House with dilapidated wood siding
  • Dwellings must be kept clean and sanitary, free from insect and rodent infestation.
  • Roofs must be structurally tight and sound with no leaks.
  • Exterior walls and every weather-exposed surface must be impervious to water.
  • Exterior wood surfaces must be sealed with paint or stain and be kept free from substantial cracking or peeling.
  • Tarps and tar paper are only allowed for a maximum of three months in any two year period.
  • Windows and doors must be intact and substantially weather-tight.
  • Overcrowding of dwellings is prohibited. One person for every two-hundred square feet of floor space is the rule of thumb.
  • For example, eight people living in a 1,500 sq. ft. home would not be considered overcrowding.
  • Human habitation of tents, campers or RVs for more than 14 days in any three month period is prohibited.
  • Containers that collect water outdoors and afford a breeding place for insects must be emptied every seven days.
  • Swimming pools must be maintained so that the water does not become green, brown, or black.

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How can Code Services help you?

House with porch stairs in need of repair

Code Services is available to serve you from the first floor of City Hall, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday.

Code Enforcement:  Code Services can help you resolve code violations in your neighborhood. To report suspected violations of the Residential Building Maintenance Code, you can use our Online Problem Reports or call (503) 526-2270. If we are not able to personally answer your call or if you call after office hours, please leave a voice mail message.

In order to investigate your complaint, please leave the following information:

  • A clear description of the violation.
  • The address where the code violation is occurring. If there is no address, the address of the property nearest to where the code violation is occurring and other information describing the location of the violation.
  • If available, the name and phone number of the violator.
  • Your name and telephone number, so that we can contact you if there are any questions.

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How are code violations resolved?

Blue tarps are prohibited

Letter or Notice of Civil Infraction:  For most cases, Code Services first provides the person responsible for the code violation with the opportunity to voluntarily correct the problem. We notify the person of the violation by phone or by letter to make them aware of the problem and ask them to address the issue.

Citation:  When the person responsible does not voluntarily correct the code violation, a civil infraction citation may be issued either by Code Services or by the Police.  However, civil infractions are not crimes—the only penalty for a civil infraction is a monetary fine. The fines amounts are:

  • $250 per day for a Class 1 civil infraction
  • $150 per day for a Class 2 civil infraction
  • $50 per day for a Class 3 civil infraction

For continuing code violations, the fine applies for each day the violation exists.

Very unsanitary kitchen

Nuisance Abatement:  If the nuisance is not corrected, either before or after a citation, the City may begin abatement procedures. Abatement consists of entering onto the property to correct the problem. Abatement begins with a notice that is posted on the premises or the site of the nuisance. The notice directs the property owner or person responsible to correct or abate the nuisance. If the property owner or responsible party does not correct the problem within the time specified on the notice, the City will correct it and bill the property owner or responsible party for the costs. Liens may be placed upon real property to secure repayment to the taxpayers of the costs expended by the City to abate the nuisance.

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