Welcome Page

About the Oregon Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH)

In 1999, the Oregon Legislature created the Office of Administrative Hearings. Our role is to provide an independent and impartial forum for citizens and businesses to dispute state agency action against them. Prior to the creation of the OAH, contested case disputes were mostly handled internally by state agencies. With the creation of the OAH, the Oregon legislature consolidated this work, vesting it with a so-called "central panel" of administrative law judges (ALJs).

The OAH central panel consists of roughly 70 professional ALJs who hold over 30,000 hearings a year for approximately 70 state agencies. These ALJs are supported by approximately 30 professional staff members. By statute, all administrative law judges are required to be "impartial in the performance of [their] duties and shall remain fair in all hearings." All ALJs at the Oregon OAH are committed to this central tenet. We are equally committed to producing timely decisions of the highest quality.

The current five year OAH Strategic Plan, adopted in 2023, can be found here:

Oregon OAH Strategic Plan 2023-27

Guide for Virtual Hearings by Video Conference

Virtual hearings allow hearing participants to attend hearings remotely. The OAH uses Cisco Webex as its virtual hearing platform. Webex meetings allow for the parties, their representatives, and the ALJ to engage interactively through video or audio conference technology. Detailed instructions for participating in a virtual hearing are included here.

Office of Administrative Hearings Oversight Committee

Committee Details

Office of Administrative Hearings

Main Phone Number

(503) 947-1515

Fax Numbers

Unemployment Hearings - (503) 947-1531

DHS Hearings - (503) 947-1503

DMV Hearings - (503) 947-1923

Child Support Hearings - (503) 947-1921

Agencies, Boards & Commissions - (503) 947-1923

To request an Unemployment Insurance Hearing please contact the Employment Department:

Phone – (877) 345-3484

Fax – (503) 947-1335

Please provide the following:

The administrative decision number or issue you are appealing;
The mailing date of the administrative decision you're appealing, and
a brief description of why you are appealing.