Two cities in the Portland metro require houses of a certain age to be taken apart by hand rather than demolished by machine. The rest do not. Blue Heron Services holds Oregon Construction Contractors Board #260979p and carries $2,000,000 in liability coverage. This page sets out which rule applies where, with a citation to each city code, checked against the issuing authority on August 30, 2026.
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Demolition Lake Oswego projects fail in the paperwork far more often than they fail in the teardown. A structure comes down in a day; an unpermitted tear-out or a missed asbestos survey becomes a problem that outlives the project by months. Blue Heron runs demolition Lake Oswego homeowners can hand off completely. Licensing, the survey requirement, the permit, the disconnects. The disposal are part of the job rather than left on your desk.
Reviewed against each city code on August 30, 2026. Rules change, so confirm with the city before scheduling.
| City | Deconstruction required by year built | Historic review before demolition | Code reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland | Yes, 1940 or earlier | Yes, Title 33 historic resources | PCC 17.106.040 |
| Lake Oswego | Yes, 1940 or earlier | Demolition tax applies | LOC 24.06.050, .070, .080 |
| West Linn | None located | Yes, landmarks and contributing structures | CDC Chapter 25 |
| Milwaukie | None located | Yes, contributing resources | MMC 19.403 overlay |
| Oregon City | None located | Yes, McLoughlin and Canemah districts | Historic Review Board |
| Tualatin | None located | Yes, designated landmarks | TDC Chapter 68 |
| Tigard | None located | None located | MMC 14.24, adopted Feb 2026 |
| Beaverton | None located | None located | Building Division permit |
The full text is at Portland City Code 17.106.040. The work must be performed by a Certified Deconstruction Contractor. Code section 17.106.020 defines that as a contractor licensed with the Oregon Construction Contractors Board that has successfully completed a deconstruction certification program recognized by the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability.
The threshold was not always 1940. Portland raised it from 1916 by ordinance 189761, effective January 20, 2020, which is why older guidance still circulating online gives the wrong year.
Exemptions sit in 17.106.040.D: structures determined to be dangerous, and structures the City Administrator finds structurally unsafe or otherwise hazardous to human life, or where most of the material is not suitable for reuse.
Lake Oswego also levies a demolition tax, and waives it where the permit is issued for removal of a residential structure through deconstruction by a certified deconstruction contractor. A pre-deconstruction form goes in with the permit application, and a post-deconstruction form follows within 30 days of completion. Current forms are on the Lake Oswego residential demolition rules page.
West Linn. A demolition permit for a historic landmark or a primary contributing structure within a historic district goes to the Historic Review Board under Community Development Code Chapter 25. See West Linn historic resources.
Milwaukie. The Historic Resources Overlay at MMC 19.403 sets the level of review, and contributing resources are subject to demolition review. See Milwaukie historic preservation.
Oregon City. New construction and demolition in the McLoughlin Conservation District and the Canemah National Register District require Historic Review Board review. See Oregon City historic review.
Tualatin. Development Code Chapter 68 governs the designated landmarks, where demolition is treated as a use inconsistent with the landmark. See Tualatin historic preservation.
The exemption most often misread: an owner-occupant of a single family home doing their own renovation work is exempt from the survey rule, and that exemption does not carry over when the structure is being demolished. Details at Oregon DEQ asbestos survey requirements.
This is why a quote built on metro-wide assumptions rather than the specific jurisdiction will be wrong somewhere. A pre-1941 house in Portland and an identical house in a Washington County city are two different scopes of work, priced differently, on different timelines.
Blue Heron handles licensed demolition across the metro. Where a property is in Portland or Lake Oswego and predates 1941, we scope it as a deconstruction from the start. Read more about demolition in Portland, demolition in Lake Oswego, or selective demolition where only part of a structure comes out.
Every rule on this page was read from the issuing authority rather than a secondary summary. Reviewed August 30, 2026. Next review due February 2027.
Primary sources: Portland City Code 17.106.040, 17.106.020, Lake Oswego residential demolition rules, Oregon DEQ asbestos survey requirements, West Linn historic resources, Milwaukie historic preservation, Oregon City historic review.
This page is general information about local code, not legal advice. Requirements change. Confirm with the city that has jurisdiction before scheduling work.
Blue Heron is your insured, 4.9-star local team for Lake Oswego demolition services. Upfront pricing, responsive local service.
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