Information
Phone numbers to call to report a violation or if you received a code violation. Find out who to call for concerns about a commercial business in a residential neighborhood, landslides, construction without permits, noise, trees, bushes, broken down cars and other complaints.
The City of Portland puts together codes to help keep our city safe. If you need to make a report or if you got a notice about a violation, call the contact listed here to find out about next steps. You can also report violations or check the status of a report online.
Commercial and residential concerns
| Description of violation | Bureau | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Camping on public property and public right-of-ways. The homelessness toolkit provides information regarding homelessness issues. | Homelessness and Urban Camping Impact Reduction Program | 311 |
| Unlicensed short-term rental | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Commercial businesses in a residential zone | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Exit concerns for commercial businesses (i.e., blocked/locked exit ways, exit signs not working, etc.) | Fire Marshal's office | (503) 823-3700 |
| Over height (taller than 6 feet) accessory structures in building setbacks | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Pavement placed for parking purposes without the required zoning permit | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Over height fence in front setback (usually fences are required to be 3½ feet in the front setback). | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Home businesses with customers or an employee without the required home occupation permit | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Violations of a Land Use Review conditions of approval | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Overlay zone (E-zones, scenic resource zones, others) violations | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Plan Districts violations | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Temporary activities exceeding time or area limits, including garage sales | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Light glare from a commercial site to a residential site | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Tree cutting or other vegetation removal in an environmental zone | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Safety issues such as collapsing buildings or retaining walls | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Erosion issues on a property | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Landslides | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Maintenance of a residential structure, i.e., leaking roof, peeling paint, people living in a garage, etc. | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
Ext. Maintenance of non-residential structures, i.e., peeling paint, missing siding, etc.
Derelict Buildings, i.e. boarded, vacant. | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Illegal Occupancies | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Vacant structure open to entry | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Trash/debris on the exterior of a property | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Tall Grass/Weeds | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Basketball hoops on parking strips | Street Systems, Transportation | (503) 823-7002, Option 4 |
| Basketball hoops on telephone poles | Electrical Utility Company | Contact PGE or Pacific Power (whichever is the provider for the area) |
| Bushes/trees/vegetation encroaching into right of way | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Broken/unsafe sidewalks | Maintenance Operations, Transportation | (503) 823-1711 |
| Structures/fences built in right of way | Street Systems, Transportation | (503) 823-7002 |
| Visibility at Intersections | Traffic Management, Transportation | (503) 823-5211 |
Construction without permit concerns
| Description of violation | Bureau | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical, plumbing or mechanical work without permits | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Grading and/ or fill work without permits (in excess of # cu yds) | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Residential structural work without permits (i.e. addition to a house, construction of a new garage or accessory structures over 200 sq.ft., fences over seven feet tall, demolition of a house, etc.) | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Commercial structural work without permits (i.e. change of occupancy without required permits, addition to structure, structural tenant improvements, etc.) | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Illegal units unoccupied. If occupied, then a housing case. | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
Noise concerns
| Description of violation | Bureau | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Airplane noise | Port of Portland | (503) 460-4100 |
| Animal Noises - Legal animal facilities, such as kennels, doggie day cars, or stables | Portland Permitting & Development | (503) 823-7350 |
| Animal Noises - Other animal noises, such as residential to residential noises or a neighbor's barking dog | Multnomah County Animal Services | Animal Nuisances (503) 988-7387 (Note: they only accept barking dog complaints online) |
| Construction activity outside permitted hours | Portland Permitting & Development | (503) 823-7350 |
| Garbage hauler complaints, including truck /pick-up noise | Bureau of Planning and Sustainability | (503) 823-7202 |
| Helicopter noise | If the helicopter is from a news agency, contact that agency to file a complaint. Otherwise there is no agency that covers helicopter noise. | |
| Leaf blower noise | Portland Permitting & Development | (503) 823-7350 |
| Music too loud | Portland Permitting & Development | (503) 823-7350 |
| Noise (other than music) from establishments that sell liquor) | Portland Permitting & Development | (503) 823-7350 |
| Loud voices | Possibly covered by the police | (503) 823-3333 (police non-emergency) - do not call 911 |
| Other amplified sounds that are too loud | Portland Permitting & Development | (503) 823-7350 |
| Railroad noise | Federal Railway Administration | Violation Report |
Other types of concerns
| Description of violation | Bureau | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| CROW (Commercial containers stored on the right-of-way | Bureau of Planning and Sustainability | (503) 823-7202 |
| Empty garbage/recycling containers left on the curb | Bureau of Planning and Sustainability | (503) 823-7202 |
| Exterior display/storage by a commercial business in a zone that does not allow this activity | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Garbage at bus shelters | TriMet | (503) 238-7433 #4 |
| Garbage dumped in the street that is blocking traffic | Bureau of Maintenance | (503) 823-1700 |
| Garbage dumped that is not blocking traffic | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Graffiti (Online Reporting Form) | Bureau of Planning and Sustainability | 311 |
| Illegal Dumping | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Liquid waste draining into street drain | Bureau of Environmental Services | (503) 823-7180 |
| Sewer and/or rain drain breaks | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Sidewalk obstructions | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
Trees and vegetation concerns
| Description of violation | Bureau | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| After hours tree complaints | Urban Forestry | Tree Code Information Line |
| Bushes/trees/vegetation encroaching into right-of-way | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Damage or removal of a tree to be preserved during development | Urban Forestry | Tree Code Information Line |
| Dead or dying trees on private property | Urban Forestry | Tree Code Information Line |
| Low tree limbs over adjacent street/sidewalk from private property trees | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Low tree limbs over adjacent street/sidewalk from public property trees | Urban Forestry | Tree Code Information Line |
| Tree cutting or other vegetation removal in an environmental zone | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Tree removal on private property | Urban Forestry | Tree Code Information Line |
Vehicle concerns
| Description of Violation | Bureau | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Abandoned/disabled vehicles in the right-of-way | Abandoned autos | (503) 823-7309 |
| Auto repair in the right-of-way - If being done by an auto repair shop | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Auto repair/service in wrong zones (i.e. auto business in a residential zone) | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Illegally parked vehicles in the right-of-way | Parking Patrol | (503) 823-5195 |
| Oversized trucks parked in residential zones | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Parking accessory recreational vehicles in the wrong area on a property | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Visibly disabled vehicles on private property | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Vehicles parked on unpaved areas | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Vehicles parked/stored without required screening, landscaping and setbacks (generally commercial properties) | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
| Vehicle sales, repair or service business parking, storing, and/or repairing vehicles in the right of way (Title 16) | Portland Permitting & Development | Property Compliance Help Line |
If you need help with mediation, contact Resolutions Northwest.