🌲 Oregon Eviction Notice Laws

For non-payment of rent, Oregon law provides two notice periods depending on the tenancy type:

• ⚡ 72-Hour Notice: Week-to-week tenancies and situations where the landlord and tenant have agreed in writing to a 72-hour notice
• 📅 10-Day Notice: Month-to-month and fixed-term tenancies — including first-year tenants who receive 10 full days to pay the full amount owed

If the tenant pays the full amount owed before the notice period expires, the landlord must accept payment and cannot proceed with eviction based on that notice. Partial payment does not stop the process unless the landlord agrees in writing.

Required notice contents:

• ✅ Must be in writing
• ✅ Must state the exact amount of rent owed
• ✅ Must specify the 72-hour or 10-day deadline to pay or vacate
• ✅ Must be properly served
• ❌ Do not include late fees in the rent amount — rent only

For material lease violations other than non-payment of rent, Oregon requires a 30-day written notice that gives the tenant 14 days to cure the violation. If the tenant cures within 14 days, the tenancy continues. If not cured, the tenancy terminates at the end of the 30-day period.

Common curable violations:

• 🐕 Unauthorized pets
• 👥 Unauthorized occupants
• 🔊 Noise violations
• 💨 Smoking in a non-smoking unit
• 🗑️ Failure to maintain cleanliness or dispose of waste

For serious, uncurable violations, Oregon allows shorter unconditional termination notices with no cure period:

• 🔴 24-Hour Notice: For extreme endangerment of others, illegal drug manufacturing or delivery on the premises, or specified criminal activity involving firearms
• 🔴 10-Day Notice: For intentional damage to the property, extreme physical violence or threat thereof, or possession of controlled substances

Oregon’s statewide just-cause eviction law (SB 608, 2019) severely restricts no-cause terminations. After the first year of a tenancy, landlords generally cannot terminate without a qualifying reason. No-cause terminations are only permitted in limited circumstances:

• ✅ First year of tenancy: Any reason with 30-day notice (no-cause) — after 1 year, just cause is required
• ✅ Landlord-occupied buildings with 2 units or fewer may have limited exemptions
• ✅ Qualifying just-cause reasons after year one include: landlord or immediate family moving in, substantial renovations requiring vacancy, demolition, or sale to buyer who will occupy

The most common defense. Filing before the notice period expires, serving improperly, errors in notice content, or using the wrong notice type for the tenancy length can result in dismissal. Double-check all notice contents and document service carefully before filing your FED complaint.

If the tenant can show rent was paid or tendered within the notice period, or that the amount stated in the notice was incorrect (e.g., included late fees), the non-payment eviction fails. Maintain a detailed rent ledger, always issue receipts, and state only the rent amount — not late fees — in your 72-hour or 10-day notice.

ORS § 90.320 imposes a strong implied warranty of habitability on Oregon landlords. If the unit has serious maintenance deficiencies and the landlord failed to address them after written notice, the tenant may raise habitability as a defense, seek rent reduction, or exercise repair-and-deduct rights. See our guide to Oregon habitability laws for your full maintenance obligations.

ORS § 90.385 creates a strong anti-retaliation presumption. If the landlord serves a notice within 90-180 days of a tenant complaint to a housing authority, request for repairs, or exercise of a legal right, retaliation is presumed and the burden shifts to the landlord to prove a legitimate reason. Document non-retaliatory business reasons for every eviction action.

After the first year of tenancy, if the landlord cannot demonstrate a qualifying just-cause reason for termination, the eviction will be dismissed and the landlord may face liability for the tenant’s relocation costs and other damages. Oregon’s just-cause requirements are strictly enforced. Consult an attorney before proceeding with any no-cause or qualifying just-cause termination of a tenancy over one year.