Why research your zoning?
You don’t want to waste money and time on design plans for something that you might not be able to build.
Construction on a property could have environmental impacts. The property may be in a neighborhood that has special design rules. These are some considerations the city cares about. It’s a good idea to know exactly what rules you’ll need to follow before you even start planning.
It's helpful to keep this in mind if you’re looking to buy a home and you want to make major improvements or changes to it.
How to find zoning information for free on Portland Maps
Go to PortlandMaps.com and at the top right field enter your street address. It should locate your property or it’ll give you a list to choose from.
What we’re looking for is the zoning. Simply put, zoning requirements are the rules for what you can and cannot do on a property.
Next, let’s toggle down the "Permits and Zoning" tab and then select the "Zoning and Districts" button.
There are three main things to look for under "Zoning & Districts":
- Base zone
- Overlay zone
- Plan district
The base zone is the basic information about what that property can be used for and how it can be developed. Every property has a base zone. To learn more, click on the base zone link. Any blue text is a link to more information that'll open up in a new tab. In this example, the "R" means “Residential”. That means this property is only for household living purposes but not for anything else like an office or retail space.
If there’s a link or note next to where it says overlay or plan district that usually means there may be additional rules that you’ll need to follow.
For this example, the overlay shows the property is in an Environmental Conservation zone. That means if I wanted to build an addition or even a deck there may be additional rules that I’ll need to follow. The addition most likely can't be on the back without a thorough review by the environmental team. That's because there's a creek that flows through the backyard. And they want to make sure that whatever building happens on this backyard is not going to impact the health of that creek that eventually flows into Tryon State Park and the Willamette River.
Schedule a 15-minute appointment
It’s always a good idea to talk to zoning staff before planning a project. If your property is in an overlay zone or plan district you’ll definitely want to call. This is a free service and staff does not keep any record of these conversations.
Schedule a free 15-minute appointment with zoning
Another option: Call the General Inquiries phone number
Another option is to call General Inquiries. This is a free service for general zoning information and staff does not keep any record of these conversations.
Call General Inquiries at 503-823-7300. Be sure to provide the following:
- Your name
- Phone number
- The address of the project location
- A brief description of your project
Our city planners will research your property and call you back.
Three tips to keep in mind during your call
These meetings are 15 minutes long, so please prioritize your top three questions. Depending on the questions, there may only be time to answer a few. City planners will give you general zoning information and can point you towards the next step of your process.
Please be ready to take notes. City planners will not provide email summaries of your conversation.
You will not be able to request to meet with the same planner if you have more follow-up questions after your call. Feel free to call General Inquiries again.
The planner will let you know if you may need a land use review or if it looks like you can go ahead and start applying for a building permit.
Additional Resources
Learn more about the Development Review and Permit Processes.
Check out more information on Finding your Zoning Regulations and Zoning Maps.
Ready to apply for a building or zoning permit? Visit the Building and Zoning Permit Application page.