Title 20, Counties and County officers

As used in this chapter, unless the context requires otherwise, the term “county court” includes board of county commissioners.

Whenever it is desired to form a new county out of one or more then existing counties or to change the boundaries of then existing counties, a petition praying for the formation of such new counties or for the change of the boundaries of then existing counties, describing the ter…

(1) If the county court finds that the proposed changes will not result in any new or remaining county having an assessed valuation, area or population less than required by the Constitution of this state, the county court shall call an election on a date specified in ORS 203.085…

(1) In case the petition provided for in ORS 202.020 is for a change in the boundaries of existing counties, but not for the elimination of any then existing county, the county courts of the counties concerned shall appoint two commissioners each to act with the commissioners of …

The county clerk in each county in which an election under ORS 202.030 is held shall certify to the Secretary of State a copy of the summary of votes cast on the question of creating a new county or changing boundaries. The county clerk also shall certify to the Secretary of Stat…

(1) The Governor shall issue a proclamation declaring a new county created if an election for the purpose of establishing a new county is held and a majority of all electors registered within the limits of the proposed new county voted at the election in favor of the creation of …

(1) If the election was for the purpose of establishing a new county, it thereafter shall be a county for all civil, military and other purposes. (2) If the election was for the purpose of changing county boundaries, the boundaries of the county shall be changed to conform to the…

(1) In the establishment of any proposed new county and in the establishment of the boundaries of counties in which a change is proposed, the same shall be made to conform to the established government legal subdivisions. (2) For purposes of ad valorem taxation, a boundary change…

Refusal or neglect of any official to perform duties in connection with any election under this chapter shall not affect the validity of the election. [Amended by 1983 c.350 §13]

(1) Not later than the 30th day after the Governor issues the proclamation provided for in ORS 199.790 or 202.060, the Governor shall appoint three electors, who must be residents of the new county so formed, to serve as county judge and commissioners for the new county. When the…

(1) The county judge and the county commissioners appointed under ORS 202.100, acting as a county court, shall appoint a sheriff, a county clerk, a county assessor, a county treasurer and a county surveyor. An officer appointed under this subsection must be an elector of the new …

(1) The county court of the new county may temporarily fix the county seat, and such location shall remain the county seat until the first general election thereafter, when the electors of the new county are empowered to vote for and select the place of county seat in the manner …

In all matters not specially provided for in this chapter, the county court appointed as provided in ORS 202.100 shall be governed by the laws of this state then existing in relation to counties.

The members of the county court of any new county organized under this chapter, while in the discharge of their duties as provided in this chapter, shall receive the same compensation as is allowed by law for the performance of their ordinary official duties.

(1) All public buildings, records or other public property within the limits of the original county shall remain and be the property of such original county; but, if the election is held for change in county boundaries, and any public building belonging to the county is located i…

(1) When a new county is organized in whole or in part from any existing county it shall be the duty of the county court of the new county to cause to be transcribed in the proper books all the records of deeds, mortgages and other instruments, probate records, court records and …

(1) When a new county is organized in whole or in part from any existing county and any record or any volume of any records of the county from which the new county is created relate wholly to property located within the new county, such records or volumes thereof shall be transfe…

(1) The county court of a new county or a county to which territory has been added shall, respectively: (a) Cause all the registration records of electors living in the new county or in the territory that has been added to an existing county to be segregated from the registration…

All moneys due from the State of Oregon to a new county shall be paid to the county treasurer of the new county in the manner and at the same time that such moneys are paid to the other counties of the state. All moneys due from the state to a county from which any territory is t…

A new county’s proportion of the state taxes shall be determined as follows: (1) If the new county is formed from one county, the new county shall pay its pro rata share of the amount of state taxes which the county from which it is formed is to pay for that year, and for each su…

(1) Any new county organized under this chapter shall assume and pay, as provided in this section, a just proportion of the indebtedness of the counties from which it is segregated, based upon the last assessed valuation of the original counties, and in proportion that the valuat…

All moneys belonging to special funds, such as fire, school, roads and other funds and property owned by the districts within the boundaries of the new county organized under this chapter or owned by the districts in the territory affected by the change in boundaries segregated u…

(1) Any county in which the amount of public funds on hand at the time of the settlement provided for in ORS 202.210 exceeds the total of its outstanding indebtedness shall, after making the deductions provided for in ORS 202.210 (3), from the amount of such public funds on hand …

The amount of indebtedness of a county organized or acquiring new territory as provided in this chapter, as ascertained by the joint board of county courts, shall be paid to the county from which it segregates or from which the territory is taken, in the warrants of the new count…

The authority of any county from which a portion is segregated under this chapter, for the collection of revenue within the boundaries of the portion segregated shall cease from the date upon which the two county courts, under the provisions of ORS 202.210, base the settlement be…

The county courts of all the counties affected by the formation of the new county, or by a change in county boundaries, shall immediately after such segregations, redistrict their county into districts provided for by law, and shall fill the vacancies occasioned by such segregati…

School districts and road districts within the counties affected by proceedings under this chapter, shall be renumbered so as to make their number in each county run consecutively, and the number of existing school districts may when necessary be changed to effect that purpose.

The validity of bonds issued by any school district prior to the division of any county or prior to the change of county boundaries, under this chapter, shall in no wise be affected by such division nor by the renumbering of the school districts that may have issued such bonds.

Any county organized under the provisions of this chapter shall, as soon as its organization is completed, constitute a judicial subdivision of the judicial district from which its largest area was taken upon the organization of the new county. The territory segregated by a chang…

In all actions or proceedings, civil or criminal, for the prosecution of a crime committed or a cause of action arising within the boundaries of any judicial subdivision created under the provisions of this chapter, and properly triable in such subdivision under the provisions of…

All processes, writs, bonds, notices, appeals, recognizances, papers and proceedings in actions changed to a new county under the provisions of this chapter issued and made returnable to the circuit court of the county from which a portion has been segregated or organized prior t…