The City and the Urban Services Boundary
The City of Portland initially adopted a USB in Multnomah and Clackamas Counties in the 1980s and Washington County in the 1990s in cooperation with Metro regional government and neighboring jurisdictions. The City has since amended its USB several times. Portland’s USB includes areas where the City intends to provide urban services as those areas urbanize and develop.
Environmental Services provides sewer service within City limits and to areas outside the city limits within the City’s established USB. Environmental Services may provide sewer service to specific areas outside Portland’s USB through contract agreements with neighboring jurisdictions where sanitary sewers outside Portland’s USB flow to a City sewer or treatment facility. Similarly, some neighboring jurisdictions treat sewage from Portland’s USB via contract agreements.
Understanding Your Property Location and Sewer Provider
Determining where a property receives sewer service and which jurisdiction to contact for service and permitting depends on planning boundaries, sewer system ownership, and Interagency Agreements (IGA).
Finding Your Jurisdiction or Sewer District
To identify who to contact for sewer service, visit PortlandMaps.com and enter the address into the search bar. In the menu with details about the property, scroll down to ‘Utilities,’ then ‘Sewer and Environmental’ to identify the sewer service provider, whether the property is within Portland’s USB and any relevant contact information. If there is a wholesale sewer agreement or IGA associated with the property, there will be a link available in the same section for reference.
Properties within the City of Portland: If the property is within the City of Portland*, you’ll most likely work with the City of Portland for sewer connection permits and inspections.
*An exception applies if the property is within the City of Portland boundary but outside Metro’s Urban Growth Boundary (UGB). Metro’s Title 3 code and Portland’s 2035 Comprehensive Plan policies prohibit the extension of public sewers from inside the UGB to outside of it. Therefore, Portland cannot serve these properties. Contact Metro for further guidance.
Properties outside the City of Portland limits but within Portland’s USB: Properties located outside the City of Portland limits but within the City’s established USB are called unincorporated pockets. If the property is in an unincorporated pocket, Portland will require annexation in order to receive sewer services. Once annexation is complete, the property owner will likely work with the City of Portland for connection permits, fees, and inspections. See the information below about annexation.
If the property is in an unincorporated pocket and the Clackamas County Sewer District #1, contact the City of Portland for annexation requirements. When annexation is complete, contact Clackamas County Service District #1 for sewer connection fees, permitting, and inspections.
Properties outside Portland’s USB: If the property is in Clackamas County Service District #1, Clean Water Services, Gresham, Lake Oswego, or Milwaukie, contact those jurisdictions for permitting, fees, and inspections.
Properties in Maywood Park: If the property is in Maywood Park, the map below identifies the properties in Maywood Park that currently have access to the City of Portland sewer system. Properties with access to the City of Portland Sewer, as identified in the map, will contact the City of Portland for connection permits. If the property is inside Maywood Park, but does not have Portland sewer available, the property owner should contact the City of Maywood Park for guidance.
Annexation
Annexation is the process of changing municipal boundaries to bring unincorporated areas into an existing city. If a property is located within Portland’s USB, but outside Portland’s City limits, it must be annexed into the City of Portland to receive sewer services. Property owners within Portland's USB may apply to be annexed to connect to the sewer.
For more information about annexation, visit the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability’s webpage.
Obtaining a Sewer Connection Permit
If the property meets any of the criteria listed above to connect to the City of Portland sewer, visit this Guide to Utility Connection Permits for information on sewer connection permits.
The information on this page presumes that on-site sewage disposal, such as septic, has already been ruled out and that a connection to a municipal system will be needed. For information on converting septic to sewer and septic permitting, see Converting Septic Systems to Sewer Connections and Septic Permits: New Construction, Repairs, and Alterations.