Portland's Enhanced Services Districts
A significant part of Portland’s core is represented by three existing services districts:
Central Eastside Together
Established in 2019, the Central Eastside Industrial District includes more than 200 businesses, nonprofits and other organizations operating within the Central Eastside area.
Downtown Portland Clean & Safe
Portland's oldest of three Enhanced Services Districts, Clean & Safe serves a 213-block area of downtown Portland, that includes businesses, retail locations and residences.
Lloyd ESD
Established in 2001, the Lloyd Enhanced Services District supports an area that includes residents, employers and commuters.
About Enhanced Services Districts
The City of Portland Enhanced Services District (ESD) Program is governed by City Code 6.06 and overseen by the City’s ESD Coordinator. There are thousands of place management districts across North America that go by many different names, including Business Improvement Areas (BIAs), Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), Community Benefit Districts (CBDs), Economic Improvement Districts (EIDs), Public Improvement Districts (PIDs), and so forth; in Portland, they are known as Enhanced Services Districts or ESDs. ESDs are intended to expand upon basic city services, adding economic resiliency, vibrancy, and vitality to a district.
To create an ESD, property owners and/or property management companies (those defined by City Code 6.06.010 and 6.06.020 H. as engaging in property management activity and referred to here on out as licensees) within a specific district must petition the City to establish an ESD, followed by a vote of City Council. If approved by City Council, an ESD is established for a renewable 10-year lifecycle, managed by two five-year contracts per lifecycle, and is managed by a Board of Directors (Board) comprised of ESD ratepayers. Once established, all licensees within the newly formed ESD must pay an annual property management license fee. This fee is collected by the City’s Revenue Division and redistributed to the ESD for reinvestment back into their district. These fees are what fund the operations and programs of the ESD.
ESD Boards decide what programs are offered within their district based on the needs of their community and within the constraints of their annual budget. Typical ESD programs include, but are not limited to, district cleaning and beautification, public safety, ambassadors, events and activations, public art, marketing, advocacy, business attraction and retention, etc. Ultimately, ESDs are designed to help their communities access local dollars that can be reinvested back into their district, with the goal of improving the economic resiliency, vibrancy, and vitality of the district for the long-term. An ESD Board will typically hire a District Management Association (DMA), a separate non-profit, to implement and manage its programs.
City Council must approve a renewal of an ESD at the conclusion of its lifecycle. If approved, the ESD will be renewed for another 10-year lifecycle. A district can be terminated anytime if licensees who collectively contribute more than 33 percent of the total revenue submit written objections.
ESDs are currently required to:
- Regularly hold Board meetings (ESD Coordinator is an ex-officio non-voting member on all ESD Boards)
- Quarterly provide ESD Coordinator with tracking measures on all programs
- Yearly:
- Provide an Annual Report to City Council, their ratepayers, and the ESD Coordinator.
- Host an annual meeting open to all ratepayers.
The property management license fee (ESD fee) is paid by entities who meet the following criteria for properties within a district’s boundaries, in order of importance:
- Financially responsible for the water service to a property,
- Exclusively occupy a property, or
- Exhibit other indicators of property management
Examples include property owners, tenants, property management services, and developers. Visit the City’s Revenue webpage to learn more about the ESD fee.
To learn more about the ESD Program, visit the City’s ESD Program webpage where you will find the ESD Handbook, ESD contracts, quarterly ESD program stats, Annual Reports, and information about the property management license fee.
New recommended ESD Exploration Strategic Plan
The City of Portland has selected four new Requesters to begin ESD exploration.
The selected Requestors include:
- First group – work beginning July 2025
- Parkrose via Historic Parkrose (District 1)
- St Johns via St Johns Boosters (District 2)
- Second group – work beginning January 2026, depending on available resources
- Division / Clinton via Division Clinton Business District (District 3)
- Pearl District via NW Community Conservancy (District 4)
Read the new recommended plan:
How to form a new ESD
To form a new district, property owners must vote, receive the City’s approval and establish a nonprofit organization to manage their extra services. Properties within the district pay fees, which the City distributes to the nonprofit to provide the agreed-upon services.
Learn more about starting a new ESD:
To get started, download the ESD petition packet:
Questions? Contact the ESD program coordinator, call 311 or email 311@portlandoregon.gov.
How we're doing
The City of Portland tracks and reports the basic city services provided within each Enhanced Services District:
The Portland Police Bureau collects and reports quarterly crime stats for each Enhanced Services District:
Recent Reports
Stay up to date
Receive updates regarding the Enhanced Services District program.