Title 31, Highways, Roads, Bridges and Ferries

A petition for the formation of a district, in addition to other matters required, shall set forth: (1) The number of owners of property abutting the highway within the proposed district. (2) The estimated initial cost of the acquisition and installation of the lighting equipment…

(1) The county board may be established as the governing board of a district. If the petition for formation filed under ORS 372.040 requests the county board to be the governing board of the district and the district is formed as provided by ORS 198.795 to 198.845, the county boa…

Upon the filing of the petition for formation, the county board shall, by order, direct the county engineer to: (1) Make an inspection and investigation of the proposed lighting project and of the area described in the petition with respect to feasibility and public convenience a…

A highway lighting district may: (1) Make contracts. (2) Hold, receive and dispose of real and personal property within and without its described boundaries. (3) Do all other acts and things requisite, necessary or convenient in carrying out the objects of the district or exercis…

(1) The plans and specifications for the illumination of a state highway shall be submitted to and be approved by the Department of Transportation before a district is authorized to acquire the equipment for illumination or to install it on any state highway. (2) A district shall…

(1) The district may assess, levy and collect assessments upon all real property situate within its boundaries and which is by law taxable for state and county purposes in each year, on any reasonable basis of assessment. However, the assessment shall not exceed $1 per each front…

For purposes of ad valorem taxation, a boundary change must be filed in final approved form with the county assessor and the Department of Revenue as provided in ORS 308.225. [2001 c.138 §25]

(1) The district board each year shall estimate assessments needed, and the amount thereof shall be levied and returned to the county officer whose duty it is to extend the tax roll at the time required by law for other taxes to be levied and returned. (2) All assessments levied …

Except for railroad right of way that abuts on the highway at a grade crossing, railroad right of way shall not be subject to assessment by a district. [Amended by 1971 c.514 §19]

(1) The power given to districts, except as otherwise provided by this chapter, is vested in and shall be exercised by a board of five commissioners. Except as provided by ORS 372.210, each commissioner shall be appointed to serve for a term of four years. The order by which the …

(1) Within 10 days after the issuance of the order proclaiming the formation of a district, the commissioners shall meet and organize by each first taking and subscribing an oath of office. (2) After qualifying, the commissioners first appointed shall determine by lot the length …

(1) The district board shall hold meetings at the times and places within the district as it determines. It shall hold at least one regular meeting annually in January on a day to be fixed by the board. The board may hold special meetings as it may provide by rule. (2) The board …

The district board may employ engineers, superintendents, mechanics, clerks, secretaries or other persons as requisite, necessary or convenient, in carrying on any of its work, at a rate of remuneration fixed by the board. [Amended by 1971 c.403 §6; 1971 c.514 §23]

(1) All moneys of a district shall be deposited in one or more banks designated by the district board. Moneys shall be paid out only when previously ordered by vote of the board and upon a check signed by the treasurer and countersigned by the president, or in the absence or inab…

All the proceedings of the district board shall be entered at large in a record book. All books, maps, plans, documents, correspondence, vouchers, reports and other papers and records pertaining to the business of the district shall be carefully preserved, and shall be open to in…

The electors of a district may exercise the initiative and referendum powers with reference to legislation of the district, in accordance with ORS 255.135 to 255.205. [Amended by 1971 c.514 §26; 1983 c.350 §247]

Land abutting a highway may be annexed to a highway lighting district. The petition shall set forth in addition to other matters the information required by ORS 372.040 as applied to the area proposed to be annexed. [1955 c.80 §3; 1971 c.514 §37; 1971 c.727 §112]

In an order of consolidation or merger of two or more districts, the county board: (1) Shall appoint, except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, five electors of the surviving or successor district as members of the first district board of the consolidated district. (2…

(1) The landowners within a district may petition the county board for withdrawal of a designated and described contiguous area lying along the boundary of and included in the district. (2) The county board, where it appears that the petition has been signed by 10 percent of the …

At the time of filing the petition for withdrawal, the petitioners shall deposit with the county clerk a sum of money sufficient to defray all the costs of publication and the expenses of preparing and filing with the county board the description of the boundaries of the district…

(1) If at the time and place set for hearing upon the withdrawal petition no remonstrance is filed, either orally or in writing, the county board shall enter an order withdrawing the designated and described contiguous area from the district. If at the hearing any remonstrance is…

The area withdrawn shall, after the date of entry of the withdrawal order, be free from assessments and taxes levied thereafter by the district. However, the withdrawn area shall be taxed for its proportionate share of any indebtedness existing at the time of the order. The propo…

Dissolution of a district may be initiated: (1) By a petition for dissolution of the district, filed with the district board, signed by the owners representing not less than 50 percent of the front footage abutting the highway included in the district. (2) By resolution of the di…

(1) When the dissolution of a district is proposed, the board shall make findings of fact which shall include: (a) The amount of each outstanding indebtedness, together with a general description thereof and the holders thereof, so far as known. (b) The estimated cost of dissolut…

(1) When the district board has complied with ORS 372.460, it shall thereupon file the petition or resolution with the county board of the county and request dissolution of the district in accordance with the plan. No proposal shall be filed until the assent of all known holders …

(1) After the hearing, if the county board determines it is in the best interest of the district to dissolve, it shall grant the petition and enter an order dissolving the district or the county board may deny the petition. If an order is entered dissolving the district, the dist…

Whenever the route of any state highway passes through the corporate limits of any city of this state, the Department of Transportation: (1) Shall select and designate the streets of the city over which the state highway shall be routed. (2) Shall erect and maintain such road and…

(1) Except as provided in ORS 374.329, before the Department of Transportation acquires within any incorporated city any new rights of way, or relocates or abandons any existing state highway within any incorporated city, the department shall notify the mayor of the city by lette…

(1) Complete jurisdiction and control of streets taken over by the Department of Transportation as provided in ORS chapter 366 and ORS 105.760, 373.010, 373.015, 373.030 and this section, is vested in the department and extends from curb to curb, or, if there is no regular establ…

(1) The Department of Transportation may construct, reconstruct, pave and improve and shall repair and maintain streets and roads through cities where such streets or roads, or both: (a) Form a link in the highway system of the state or constitute a connection between two such hi…

(1) Whenever the Department of Transportation has located a highway in, into or through the corporate limits of a city upon or over an alignment or route not theretofore comprising a city street and has acquired the necessary rights of way therefor and constructed a highway there…

(1) If by the closing of any street as provided in ORS 373.050, real property abutting on the intersected street between the point of intersection and the next street, but in no event beyond a point 300 feet from the point of intersection, is damaged, any person having any right,…

(1) Whenever in its judgment it is necessary, for the purpose of connecting an existing county road with an existing state highway, that the connecting road be located, established and designated over property within the boundaries of a city, the county court or board of county c…

The county court or board of county commissioners may construct and pave streets and roads through cities of less than 2,500 population, as shown by the last federal census, where such streets and roads are for the purpose of connecting county roads and highways. [Amended by 1957…

Whenever any county constructs across any stream any bridge which is wholly or in part within the limits of any city within the county, the county may use as approaches for the bridge such portions as may be necessary of any street of the city leading to the bridge. The power, do…

Any city having a population of less than 100,000 may provide for the improvement of any roads or streets within the limits of the city at the partial expense of the general fund of the city in the manner provided in ORS 373.220 and 373.230, where: (1) Such roads or streets are p…

Whenever, by majority vote of the legislative authorities of a city mentioned in ORS 373.210 or by initiative vote by the people thereof, it is deemed advisable to construct or improve such designated roads or streets at the partial expense of the general fund of the municipality…

Except as to the provision that a portion of the cost of the improvement mentioned in ORS 373.220 may be paid out of the general fund of the city, all other charter or ordinance provisions govern in the matter of the construction and improvement of such roads and streets.

The general road fund of any city shall consist of the road money set apart for the city as a road district or otherwise, under the laws of the state, out of the road tax levied by the county, which the county treasurer shall pay to the city, and any other money placed in the roa…

The road fund mentioned in ORS 373.240: (1) Shall be used by the city for the construction and repair of county roads and streets therein. (2) May be used for the construction and repair of roads without a city having a population of less than 100,000 which lead directly to it. (…

(1) The county court or the board of county commissioners of any county and the authorities of any city within the county may enter into an agreement for the construction, improvement or repair of, and the acquisition of right of way for: (a) Any county road or city street within…

(1) Jurisdiction over a county road within a city may be transferred under this section whenever: (a) The county governing body deems it necessary, expedient or for the best interest of the county to surrender jurisdiction over any county road or portion thereof within the corpor…

No assessment made by any city for the improvement of any county road or portion thereof under the bona fide belief of its governing body that it was a public street of the city is invalid where the property owner has permitted the city to make the improvement or where the county…

The incorporated city of Amity, in Yamhill County, has exclusive control and jurisdiction over all county roads and highways within its corporate boundaries. Such county roads and highways are streets, subject to all the burdens and servitudes thereof. The control of such county …

The city of Monmouth, in Polk County, has full and exclusive jurisdiction, power and control over all that part of the highway known as Monmouth Avenue from its intersection with Main Street north to the northeast corner of University Out Lot B located within the corporate limits…

(1) The city of Myrtle Point, in Coos County, has absolute and complete jurisdiction over the following portions of the following county roads located within the corporate limits of the city: (a) All that portion of any county roads within the corporate limits of the city, lying …

All county roads or other roads under the jurisdiction of the county court of Marion or Polk County, within the corporate limits of the City of Salem, are streets of the city. The city has exclusive control and jurisdiction over all such roads. The county courts of Marion and Pol…

(1) As used in this section, “road funds” means: (a) State Highway Fund moneys allocated to Multnomah County as provided in ORS 366.739; and (b) Taxes imposed on motor vehicle fuel by Multnomah County. (2) The county roads within the corporate limits of the City of Gresham, in Mu…

(1) The kind, character and volume of traffic now moving over public highways, the speed at which such traffic moves, the prime and essential factors such as speed, safety and convenience to which transportation of persons and property over public highways is entitled, the relati…

As used in ORS 374.005 to 374.095, “throughway” means a highway or street especially designed for through traffic, over, from or to which owners or occupants of abutting land or other persons have no easement of access or only a limited easement of access, light, air or view, by …