Street maintenance responsibility and process
Portland City Code Chapter 17.42 establishes property owners’ responsibility for construction and maintenance of streets that are not maintained by the City.
A private party may improve a local unmaintained street to meet City standards and request that it be accepted for maintenance. TRN 1.08 describes the requirements and process for a paved local street to be accepted into maintenance by the City.
Applying for a determination
If the street you are interested in is already paved, the first step is to verify whether it can be accepted for maintenance without further improvements. To apply for a verification, fill out the City Engineer Inquiry & Assessment Form below and email it to LCA_Engineering@portlandoregon.gov. There is no cost for the verification.
A PBOT Engineer will review the segment and complete an engineering assessment. The decision will be conveyed by email to applicant. The decision will either accept the segment into maintenance or not. If the segment is not accepted, the determination will state why. The possible reasons why are:
Street width
Lack of a turnaround
Pavement condition
If the street segment is not accepted due to pavement condition, a formal assessment of the pavement through a Pavement Coring Permit may be needed. TRN 1.08 describes the requirements for pavement coring. To apply for a pavement coring permit go to Environmental Assessment Program | Portland.gov.
If a segment is not accepted due to street width or the lack of a turnaround, street improvements will be needed in order to have the street accepted for maintenance.
Improving an unmaintained street
Interested parties can either apply for a Public Works Permit to improve a street segment or form a Local Improvement District where multiple property owners contribute to the cost of improvements.
If an applicant chooses to pursue a Public Works Permit to build only the improvements necessary to allow the street to be accepted for maintenance, improvements to full City standard or payment of the Local Transportation Infrastructure Charge may still be required at the time of development.