Newsroom
Check out the latest
news releases from DLCD.
Comprehensive calendar of DLCD public meetings, hearings, and events. This page also includes a comprehensive list of department announcements.
Learn about the legislative process and the impact of land use legislation on local governments. This page includes information about DLCD's biennial Policy Agenda approved by the Land Conservation and Development Commission.
Local Government Decisions Under Review
Most land use decisions made by cities and counties are subject to an appeal to the
Land Use Board of Appeals if an affected party wishes to contest the action. There is a subset of local government decisions, however, that go through a different review process. In these cases, the city or county submits its final decision to DLCD for review. Decisions of this kind include some
urban growth boundary expansions, some
urban reserve and rural reserve designations and amendments, and all
periodic review tasks.
The DLCD director decides whether the decision complies with applicable land use laws or "refers" the issue to the Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) for review. If not referred to the Commission, the director may either approve the decision, or return it to the city or county for further consideration (called a "remand").
Learn more about
Local Government Decisions Under Review - the process, along with current and recent decisions reviewed by the department or the LCDC.
Enforcement of Land Use Laws
When someone believes a city, county, or special district has made a land use decision that violates a local or state planning or zoning regulation, their recourse is to appeal the decision to the
Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA). This is the appropriate avenue for most disputes over land use decisions. In certain circumstances, however, a decision-maker may be making a series of decisions that do not comply with relevant regulations. In this case, rather than appealing each decision to LUBA, a party may petition the
Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) to enforce the regulations.
Learn more about
current enforcement proceedings.
Post-Acknowledgement Plan Amendment (PAPA) Notices
State law requires local governments to notify DLCD when a comprehensive plan change is proposed or adopted (OAR 660-018). DLCD uses the term "post-acknowledgment plan amendment", or PAPA, for any comprehensive plan change reported to DLCD. State law also requires DLCD to provide public notice of all proposals and adoptions received on a weekly basis (OAR 660-018-0025). In October 2017, DLCD unveiled an on-demand reporting service that allows users to request proposal and adoption summaries at any time.
DLCD also created a Plan Amendment Notification Service for anyone interested in receiving an automatic notification of comprehensive plan proposals or adoptions received. Interested persons can create an online user account to sign-up for the notification service. Subscribers may select the cities and counties of interest, and when DLCD receives a proposed or adopted amendment from that jurisdiction, it will send an email notification to the subscriber.
Go to the
PAPA Notices page to see Proposed or Adopted Amendments or sign-up for the notification service.
Landowner Notification (Measure 56)
In the November 1998 general election, Oregon voters approved Ballot Measure 56 (BM56). The measure requires cities and counties to provide affected property owners with notice when there is a change in the zoning classification for their property. This can be the result of an adoption or amendment of a comprehensive plan. It can also be the result of and adoption or change of an ordinance in a manner that changes the underlying zone or limits or prohibits previously allowed uses.
Measure 56 also requires the DLCD to notify cities and counties when the legislature enacts a new law or the department adopts a new administrative rule that limits or prohibits otherwise permissible land uses. Go to the
Landowner Notification page to learn more.