The Significant Natural Resource Overlay (SNRO) implements Statewide Planning Goal 5 which requires an inventory and protection for natural resources including significant wetlands, riparian corridors, and wildlife habitat.

While the standards provide protection for the resources, they also balance conservation with reasonable economic use of the land.

During this limited technical update, Planning Division staff are evaluating SNRO code standards to ensure that they are clear and objective. There will not be any changes to what is allowed or permitted within this overlay, nor will there be changes to the amount of mitigation required if the SNRO is encroached upon. Staff are seeking to refine and simplify the code so that it is understandable and concise for both developers and property owners.

Proposed SNRO Code Language for Adoption

For more information about the Significant Natural Resource Overlay code amendment, please contact Rachel Marble at Rachel.Marble@Hillsboro-Oregon.gov.

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The Housing Hillsboro project aimed to help meet the needs of our community now and in the future. The adopted code amendments allow for more housing choices that are accessible, affordable, and fit the diverse needs of our residents.

In addition, Housing Hillsboro reduced regulatory barriers, encouraged middle housing development, and brought the City's regulations and procedures into compliance with House Bill 2001. The statewide law that required cities to allow middle housing such as duplexes, triplexes, and cottage clusters to be built in areas traditionally zoned for single-family homes.

Hillsboro City Council adopted the draft amendments at their May 17, 2022 meeting with minor changes. Adopted amendments are incorporated in Subchapter 12 of the City of Hillsboro Development Code and went into effective June 30, 2022.

Read the Frequently Asked Questions.

Middle Housing 

Middle housing is designed to accommodate more residents than single-family homes, but less than large multifamily complexes. Nearly every single-family zone in the City allows some form of middle housing. The City’s regulations aim to maintain the look, feel, and scale of the surrounding neighborhood while allowing for a variety of housing options.

• Learn about the different types of middle housing in the State of Oregon's Housing Choices Guide Book.
• Type your address into our Hillsboro Maps tool to see what types of housing development are currently allowed in your neighborhood.
• Learn which zones in Hillsboro currently permit each middle housing type below.

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Duplex 

A duplex is a middle housing type with two separate attached or detached dwelling units on a lot with their own entrances. 

Currently, duplexes are permitted in the SFR-4.5, SCR-LD, SCR-DNC, and Multi-Family residential zones, depending on density and minimum lot size requirements, and in many Mixed-Use zones. Duplexes may also be constructed in limited cases in large subdivisions in the SFR-10, SFR-8.5, SFR-7, and SFR-6 zones.

Triplex and Quadplex

• A triplex is a middle housing structure with three distinct attached or detached dwelling units on one lot.
• A quadplex is a type of middle housing that contains four attached or detached dwelling units on one lot. 

Currently, triplexes and quadplexes are considered “multiple dwelling structures” and are permitted housing types in SCR-DNC and Multi-Family residential zones, depending on density and minimum lot size requirements, and in many Mixed-Use zones.

Triplexes and quadplexes may be constructed through the Planned Unit Development process in the SFR-10, SFR-8.5, SFR-7, SFR-6, SFR-4.5, and SCR-LD zones.

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Townhouse

Also commonly referred to as a “row house,” this housing type is characterized by attached units each on a separate lot and its own entry from a public or shared street or common area.

Currently, two-unit townhouses are considered similar to duplex dwelling units and permitted in the same residential zones (see above).

Townhouses with three or more dwelling units are permitted in the SCR-LD, SCR-DNC , and Multi-Family residential zones, and in many Mixed-Use zones. In lower density Single-Family Residential zones, these larger townhouses may be constructed through the Planned Unit Development process.

Cottage Cluster

According to HB 2001, a cottage cluster is no fewer than four detached dwelling units per acre with a footprint of less than 900 square feet each that includes a common courtyard.

This housing type is currently not recognized in the Community Development Code.

Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are small, secondary housing units constructed on the same property as a single-family house.

ADUs have been allowed on single-family residential lots in Hillsboro since the 1990s. In early 2020, the Community Development Code was amended to ease architectural standards and remove the off-street parking requirements.

Hillsboro is currently in compliance with HB 2001 requirements for ADUs. Staff will look for additional ways to reduce regulatory barriers for ADUs.

The Hillsboro Municipal Code (HMC) regulates the volume of noise permitted throughout the City. 

Previously, HMC Subchapter 6.24 had the same standard noise limits of 60 decibels during the daytime and 50 decibels at night applied to all land uses throughout the City.

Through the Industrial Noise Level Code amendment project, Planning Division staff raised the permitted noise level between abutting industrial users up to 75 decibels.

In November 2020, Oregon voters approved Ballot Measure 109, allowing the manufacturing and administration of psilocybin (mushrooms) to clients at licensed facilities.

After a two-year program development period, the program launched in January 2023. 

The Oregon Health Authority is accepting applications for psilocybin licenses. There are four types of licenses that can be issued under the new program:

• Service Center: A location where clients will be administered psilocybin under supervision of a licensed facilitator.
• Service Facilitator: A person that administers psilocybin services.
• Product Manufacturer: A location where one or more psilocybin products will be manufactured which could include fungi cultivation, psilocybin extraction and edible psilocybin production.
• Testing Facility: A facility to undertake testing of psilocybin products.

At the Hillsboro City Council’s direction, Planning Division staff created additional regulatory framework with specific regulations and restrictions on when, where, and in what manner psilocybin facilities can operate within the City of Hillsboro.

Updates to the City’s code were completed in December 2022 after being approved by both the Planning Commission and the City Council. 

Under the new City Code, psilocybin facilities within the City of Hillsboro are allowed to:

• Operate in all the zones where Office uses are permitted as a primary use
• Operate during the hours of 8 am to 10 pm
• Operate within a maximum 2,000-square-foot footprint. This is based on the typical size for a medical exam room of 100 square feet, while allowing for several rooms in which to provide psilocybin services, along with reasonable accommodation for waiting rooms, office functions, restrooms, and other related spaces.

Psilocybin facilities are not allowed to:

• Offer retail sales
• Offer off-site consumption, cultivation, or possession
• Advertise psilocybin products
• Have unregulated or untracked psilocybin production, inventory, or delivery
• Be accessible to minors

Other regulations and restrictions include:

• Maintaining a 1,000-foot buffer around K-12 schools
• Maintaining a 1,000-foot buffer around plazas and active use parks
• Psilocybin may not be manufactured outdoors

Because these facilities will have psychoactive substances and cash on site, security and waste-management regulations are also included, following the framework established for the marijuana businesses operating in the City of Hillsboro. 

To see a full list of rules and requirements, please review the City of Hillsboro Development Code.

A Short-Term Rental (STR) is a home, or portion of a home, that is rented or leased for 30 days or less. Short-term rental listings can be found on websites like Airbnb, Vacasa, and Vrbo.

Based on direction from the Planning Commission, Planning Division staff developed a two-tier system to provide a clearer path for STRs regulations. Staff also drafted amendments to the Community Development Code (CDC) and the Fee Schedule to implement them.

These updates were approved by the Planning Commission and the City Council in March of 2024, and will be effective on April 4, 2024.

Partial Dwelling STRs: The property owner resides on the site during the rental term, either in the main dwelling or in a separate dwelling on the same property.

An over-the-counter permit called a Partial Dwelling STR permit is required through the Planning Division.

Full Dwelling STRs: The property owner is not present on the site during the rental.

A permit called a Development Review permit is required through the Planning Division. This permit provides notice to nearby property owner, and an opportunity for comment and appeal.

The updated Code also provides the following:

• Prohibits commercial activities such as weddings and conferences in STRs
• Prohibits more than one rental at a time on any STR property
• Prohibits the owner of multiple dwellings from operating more than 2 Full-Dwelling STRs in Hillsboro
• Prohibits the use of tents, trailers, RVs, and yurts, etc., for use as rented STR space.

To see a full list of rules and requirements, please review the City of Hillsboro Development Code.

In 2023, Planning Division staff amended code language to better facilitate utility undergrounding and provide clearer paths for projects of different scales.

The adopted approach divided development proposals into three categories, each with different requirements concerning utility undergrounding: