Oregon Statutes - Chapter 478 - Rural Fire Protection Districts

• 478.001   Definitions.
  (1) As used in this chapter, unless the context requires otherwise: (a) “Board of directors” or “district board” means the governing body of a district....
• 478.002   Status of districts existing in 1957.
  (1) There hereby is created a rural fire protection district territorially coterminous with each rural fire protection district existing on July 2, 1957, or established...
• 478.004   New district succeeds to and replaces abolished district.
  Each rural fire protection district created by ORS 478.002 shall in all respects succeed to and replace the territorially coterminous rural fire protection district abolished...
• 478.010   Formation; territories that may not be included in districts.
  (1) A rural fire protection district may be formed in the manner set forth in ORS 478.010 to 478.100. (2) A district may not include:...
• 478.020   [Amended by 1967 c.610 §2; 1969 c.667 §4; repealed by 1971 c.727 §203]
• 478.030   [Amended by 1967 c.610 §3; 1969 c.667 §5; repealed by 1971 c.727 §203]
• 478.040   [Repealed by 1957 s.s. c.10 §4 (478.041 enacted in lieu of 478.040)]
• 478.041   [1957 s.s. c.10 §5 (enacted in lieu of 478.040); 1959 c.68 §1; 1961 c.523 §1; 1961 c.549 §1; 1969 c.667 §6; repealed by 1971 c.727 §191]
• 478.050   Qualifications for directors.
  A director of a district shall be an elector or an owner within the district. A district may determine, by ordinance that takes effect at...
• 478.060   [Amended by 1963 c.299 §2; repealed by 1971 c.647 §149 and by 1971 c.727 §203]
• 478.070   [Amended by 1961 c.549 §2; 1969 c.667 §8; repealed by 1971 c.727 §203]
• 478.080   [Amended by 1961 c.549 §3; 1969 c.667 §9; repealed by 1971 c.647 §149; 1971 c.727 §203]
• 478.090   Effect of 1939 Act on districts then existing.
  Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as impairing the legality or organization of any rural fire protection district existing on June 14, 1939, nor...
• 478.100   Immaterial defects in organization not to invalidate district organization.
  No final order of a county board establishing a district shall be set aside, or annulled upon appeal or review, on account of any defect...
• 478.110   [Repealed by 1969 c.667 §70]
• 478.115   County governing body to determine territory of district.
  Subject to the provisions of ORS 478.010, a county governing body may, under ORS 198.705 to 198.955, include in or exclude from a proposed district,...
• 478.120   Inclusion of forestland in district.
  The authority to include forestland within a rural fire protection district pursuant to ORS 478.010 (2)(c) applies to forestland within the exterior boundaries of an...
• 478.130   Certain structures subject to fire damage to be added to tax rolls.
  Any land upon which structures subject to damage by fire have been built shall be added to the assessment roll for the tax year beginning...
• 478.140   Procedure for adding land to district by consent of owner.
  Any owner consenting to add the forestland of the owner to the district under ORS 478.010 (2)(c) shall do so on forms supplied by the...
• 478.150   Conference with State Forestry Department required prior to formation of district or annexation of territory.
  Prior to the formation of any rural fire protection district or the annexation of any territory to an existing rural fire protection district of any...
• 478.155   Formation of district with tax zones; contents of formation petition and order creating district; determination of tax levy in each zone; boundary changes.
  (1) When formation of a district is proposed after October 15, 1983, the petition or order for formation may include, in addition to other information...
• 478.160   Filing of boundary or zone change with county assessor and Department of Revenue.
  For purposes of ad valorem taxation, a boundary or zone change must be filed in final approved form with the county assessor and the Department...
• 478.210   Directors; organization; term; oath.
  (1) The power and authority given to the district, except as otherwise provided, is vested in and shall be exercised by a board of five...
• 478.215   Position numbers for director election.
  (1) Each office of director shall be designated by number as Position No. 1, Position No. 2 and so forth. (2) The secretary of a...
• 478.220   [Repealed by 1957 s.s. c.10 §6 (478.221 enacted in lieu of 478.220)]
• 478.221   Nomination and election of directors.
  (1) Candidates for election from subdistricts created by ORS 478.225 shall be nominated by electors of the subdistricts. Candidates for election at large may be...
• 478.225   Election subdistricts; petition for formation; election.
  (1) This section establishes the procedure for determining either of the following questions: (a) Whether subdistricts should be created in a district for the purpose...
• 478.228   Boundaries of subdistricts.
  The boundaries or proposed boundaries of election subdistricts proposed or established within a district under ORS 478.225 from which directors are to be nominated or...
• 478.230   [Amended by 1953 c.369 §2; 1967 c.609 §11; 1969 c.667 §14; repealed by 1971 c.647 §149]
• 478.231   Election laws applicable.
  (1) ORS chapter 255 governs the following: (a) The nomination and election of directors. (b) The conduct of district elections. (2) The electors of a...
• 478.232   [1979 c.364 §4; repealed by 1983 c.350 §331a]
• 478.234   Subdistricts for nomination or election of directors.
  (1) The question whether subdistricts should be established for the purpose of nominating or electing one or more board members may be submitted at an...
• 478.235   [1979 c.364 §5; repealed by 1983 c.350 §331a]
• 478.240   Special elections; electors.
  (1) At any regular meeting, the district board may call a special election. (2) In any district in which there are no electors registered in...
• 478.245   [1955 c.617 §1; repealed by 1969 c.325 §4 and 1969 c.667 §70]
• 478.250   Meetings and officers of board.
  (1) The district board shall hold meetings at such time and place within the district as it determines. It shall hold at least one regular...
• 478.260   Fire chief and assistants; headquarters; acquisition of site; fire and first-aid apparatus and equipment; emergency medical and ambulance services.
  (1) The district board shall select a fire chief qualified by actual experience as a firefighter and fire precautionist, or otherwise, and assistants, volunteer or...
• 478.270   Reports of directors; State Fire Marshal to cooperate and furnish blank forms.
  (1) The district board shall report monthly to the State Fire Marshal, upon forms prescribed by the State Fire Marshal, information the State Fire Marshal...
• 478.280   Employment of assistants.
  The board of directors may employ assistants as necessary or convenient in carrying on the work of the district and fix their compensation. The expenses...
• 478.290   Additional authority of districts within 10 mile radius of city of 100,000 or more.
  Districts situated within a radius of 10 miles of a city of over 100,000 population may, in addition to the powers granted by ORS 478.210,...
• 478.300   Contracting with others to provide facilities and services for fire protection or road lighting; authority over open burning and fire permits; rules.
  (1) In addition to the authority to enter into intergovernmental agreements under ORS chapter 190, a rural fire protection district or other public body as...
• 478.305   Contracting with others for mutual communication system; contracts in other states.
  (1) Any district may contract with other rural fire protection districts or cities operating a fire department for the establishment and maintenance of a mutual...
• 478.308   Contracting with others for regional oil and hazardous material emergency response team.
  (1) Any district may contract with another rural fire protection district, city or county to establish, operate and maintain a regional oil and hazardous material...
• 478.310   Response to fire or public safety incident outside its own territory by district or municipality; liability for costs.
  (1) When a fire or public safety incident occurs outside the limits of a district or of a city and help is asked of the...
• 478.315   Response to fire or public safety incident in Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area; payment of costs.
  (1) When a district is located entirely or partly within the boundaries of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area established under 16 U.S.C. 544...
• 478.325   District may levy taxes for purposes of ORS 478.335 to 478.370.
  Expenses incurred by a district in establishing programs or providing benefits authorized by ORS 478.335 to 478.370 are expenses for which a district may levy...
• 478.335   Contracts for medical and hospital services or insurance.
  (1) A district board may enter into contracts for medical and hospital services or insurance covering employees of the district for remedial care and hospital...
• 478.340   Payment of premiums or charges on contracts; employee contributions; multiple contracts.
  (1) The district may agree to pay none, part or all of the premiums or charges on insurance or service contracts, and it may collect...
• 478.355   Establishment of employee retirement system; provisions of plan.
  (1) A district may establish an employees’ retirement system pursuant to ORS 478.355 to 478.370. The board may enter into agreements necessary to establish the...
• 478.360   Fund to provide retirement benefits.
  The district may budget and provide for payment into the fund of the retirement plan an amount sufficient: (1) To provide, on an actuarial reserve...
• 478.365   Employee contributions to retirement fund.
  The district may collect, as a contribution from any employee, that percentage of the salary received by the employee which is necessary to fund on...
• 478.370   Retirement benefits not to be funded for individual not employee of district when membership in system created.
  Nothing in ORS 478.325 and 478.355 to 478.370 authorizes the district to budget, provide for payments or collect contributions to fund retirement benefits for an...
• 478.390   Investments authorized to fund length of service awards for volunteer firefighters.
  In addition to the investments authorized by ORS 294.035, the board of directors of a rural fire protection district organized under ORS chapter 478 may...
• 478.410   Power of district to levy taxes, borrow money, sell bonds and create fees.
  (1) To provide funds for defraying expenses for the establishment, equipment and maintenance of the district, the district board may provide for a tax on...
• 478.420   Sale of bonds.
  Bonds authorized under ORS 478.410 shall be issued and sold in the manner prescribed in ORS chapter 287A. The bonds shall be so conditioned that...
• 478.430   Ad valorem tax.
  A district board shall ascertain and levy annually, in addition to all other taxes, an ad valorem tax on all the taxable property in the...
• 478.440   Gifts; sinking fund.
  The district may receive from any source whatever, gifts, donations, bequests, money or property for any purpose consistent with the terms of this chapter. The...
• 478.450   Tax for road lighting; method.
  To provide funds for defraying expenses for the installation, maintenance and operation of the road-lighting service to the district, the district board may provide for...
• 478.460   Deposit and disbursement of funds.
  Funds collected on behalf of the district through the levy of taxes, all donations, contributions, bequests or annuities and all borrowed money received by or...
• 478.470   Interest on unpaid warrants; limitation on amount of warrants.
  All warrants for the payment of any indebtedness of a district which are unpaid for want of funds shall bear interest at a rate to...
• 478.480   Formation of tax zones; basis for zones; public hearing.
  (1) A district board may divide its district into zones for the purpose of imposing and levying ad valorem taxes at different rates on the...
• 478.485   Notice of public hearing.
  (1) The district board shall cause a notice of a public hearing relating to the formation of zones under ORS 478.480 (1) to be published...
• 478.490   Election on question of dividing district into tax zones; order creating zones; effect.
  (1) After the public hearing required under ORS 478.480 (2), if the district board decides to proceed with the proposal, it shall submit the question...
• 478.495   Limitation on changes in tax zone boundaries.
  (1) When a proposal for dividing a district into zones is approved by the voters of a district, a proposal for changing the boundaries of...
• 478.500   Determination of tax levy in each tax zone.
  If a district is divided into zones under ORS 478.480 (1), the district board shall determine, make and declare the ad valorem tax levy for...
• 478.505   Petition for tax zones by district electors; number of signatures required; public hearing.
  (1) The electors of a district may initiate proceedings to divide the district into zones under ORS 478.155 and 478.480 to 478.500 by filing a...
• 478.510   [Amended by 1969 c.667 §32; repealed by 1971 c.727 §203]
• 478.520   [Amended by 1969 c.667 §33; repealed by 1971 c.727 §203]
• 478.530   [Amended by 1969 c.667 §34; repealed by 1971 c.647 §149 and by 1971 c.727 §203]
• 478.540   [Amended by 1969 c.694 §21; repealed by 1971 c.727 §203]
• 478.550   [Repealed by 1969 c.667 §70]
• 478.555   [1969 c.694 §23; repealed by 1971 c.727 §203]
• 478.560   Deposit and disbursement of funds of districts located in two or more counties.
  Funds accruing to a district, located in two or more counties, from any source shall be deposited in one or more depositories, as defined in...
• 478.610   [Amended by 1959 c.658 §2; 1963 c.299 §3; 1967 c.610 §1; 1969 c.79 §4; 1969 c.667 §36; repealed by 1971 c.727 §203]
• 478.614   [1953 c.165 §1; 1961 c.682 §1; 1969 c.667 §37; repealed by 1971 c.727 §203]
• 478.616   [1953 c.165 §2; 1969 c.667 §38; repealed by 1971 c.727 §203]
• 478.618   [1969 c.79 §6; 1969 c.667 §68; repealed by 1971 c.727 §203]
• 478.620   [Amended by 1969 c.667 §39; repealed by 1971 c.727 §203]
• 478.630   [Amended by 1969 c.667 §40; repealed by 1971 c.727 §203]
• 478.640   [Amended by 1969 c.667 §41; repealed by 1971 c.727 §203]
• 478.650   [Amended by 1969 c.667 §42; repealed by 1971 c.727 §203]
• 478.660   [Amended by 1969 c.667 §43; repealed by 1971 c.727 §203]
• 478.665   Withdrawal of territory from district; inclusion in forest protection district; assessment.
  In addition to any other method of initiating proceedings to withdraw territory from a district, the county board may, after appropriate proceedings, order the withdrawal...
• 478.700   [1965 c.316 §2; 1969 c.667 §44; repealed by 1971 c.727 §203]
• 478.710   [Amended by 1969 c.667 §45; repealed by 1971 c.727 §203]
• 478.720   [Amended by 1969 c.667 §46; repealed by 1971 c.727 §203]
• 478.730   [Amended by 1969 c.667 §47; repealed by 1971 c.727 §203]
• 478.740   [Amended by 1969 c.667 §48; repealed by 1971 c.727 §203]
• 478.750   [Amended by 1965 c.316 §4; 1969 c.667 §49; repealed by 1971 c.727 §203]
• 478.760   [1965 c.316 §3; 1969 c.667 §50; repealed by 2003 c.46 §54]
• 478.810   [Amended by 1969 c.667 §51; repealed by 1971 c.727 §203]
• 478.820   [Amended by 1969 c.667 §52; repealed by 1971 c.727 §203]
• 478.830   [Amended by 1969 c.667 §53; repealed by 1971 c.727 §203]
• 478.840   Definitions for ORS 478.845 to 478.875.
  As used in ORS 478.845 to 478.875: (1) “District” means a rural fire protection district organized under ORS chapter 478. (2) “Fire safety system” means...
• 478.845   Revenue bonds authorized for fire safety systems.
  (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law or any restriction on indebtedness contained in a charter, a city or district may issue and sell revenue...
• 478.850   Sources of bond payment restricted.
  (1) Revenue bonds issued under ORS 478.845 to 478.875: (a) Shall not be payable from nor charged upon any fund other than the revenue pledged...
• 478.855   Loan fund created from bond proceeds; other sources for fund.
  (1) Proceeds of revenue bonds issued and sold under ORS 478.845 to 478.875 that are to be used to fund loans to persons for acquisition...
• 478.860   Standards for eligibility for loans for fire safety systems.
  (1) The governing body of a city or district shall adopt standards to determine the eligibility of borrowers to borrow money from the loan fund...
• 478.865   Loan contract; repayment plan; terms and conditions.
  (1) Any loan contract providing for a loan of moneys to a borrower by a city or district shall include a plan for repayment by...
• 478.870   Powers granted to enforce loan contracts and secure payment of bonds; reserve fund.
  In addition to any other powers granted by law, a city or district may: (1) Make all contracts, execute all instruments and do all things...
• 478.875   Remedies for breach of loan contract.
  If a borrower fails to comply with a contract entered into under ORS 478.865, the city or district may seek appropriate legal remedies to secure...
• 478.880   Legislative findings.
  The Legislative Assembly finds and declares that: (1) The best interest of the state is served by providing financial incentives for the installation of fire...
• 478.885   Payment or repayment for cost of fire safety system installation in multifamily housing.
  (1) As used in this section: (a) “District” means a rural fire protection district organized pursuant to ORS chapter 478. (b) “Fire safety system” means...
• 478.910   Adoption of fire prevention code.
  A district board may, in accordance with ORS 198.510 to 198.600, adopt a fire prevention code. [Amended by 1969 c.667 §54; 1971 c.268 §19]
• 478.920   Scope of fire prevention code.
  The fire prevention code may provide reasonable regulations relating to: (1) Prevention and suppression of fires. (2) Mobile fire apparatus means of approach to buildings...
• 478.924   Approval of code by city or county required.
  The provisions of a fire prevention code adopted by a district after October 4, 1977, shall not apply within any city or county within the...
• 478.927   Building permit review for fire prevention code.
  A district adopting a fire prevention code shall provide plan review at the agency of the city or county responsible for the issuance of building...
• 478.930   Violation of code; failure to remove hazards; burning waste without permit prohibited.
  When a district has adopted a fire prevention code as provided in ORS 478.910: (1) No person shall violate the provisions of the code or...
• 478.940   Copies of code to be filed with State Fire Marshal and posted at fire stations.
  Copies of the fire prevention code shall be filed with the State Fire Marshal’s office and a copy shall be posted at each fire station...
• 478.960   Burning of certain materials permitted only with permission of fire chief; burning schedules and restrictions.
  (1) No one, within the boundaries of a district, shall cause or permit to be initiated or maintained on one’s own property, or cause to...
• 478.965   Recovery by district of costs of suppressing unlawful fire; attorney fees.
  (1) If the fire-fighting apparatus or personnel, or either of a district, are required to respond and be used actively or on a standby basis...
• 478.970   Purpose of district identification names.
  The purpose of ORS 478.970 to 478.982 is to establish an identification name for each district to be used for statistical purposes by the State...
• 478.972   Application by district to State Fire Marshal for identification name.
  (1) When a district is organized the first board shall notify the State Fire Marshal in writing of the identification name for the district. (2)...
• 478.974   [1953 c.164 §3; 1969 c.667 §61; repealed by 2001 c.426 §6]
• 478.976   [1953 c.164 §4; repealed by 2001 c.426 §6]
• 478.978   [1953 c.164 §5; 1969 c.667 §62; repealed by 2001 c.426 §6]
• 478.980   Identification name for district formed by consolidation or merger of districts.
  In the event of a consolidation or merger of two or more districts, the consolidated board shall select a name for the surviving or successor...
• 478.982   Reuse of names of dissolved districts.
  In the event of a dissolution of a district, the name assigned to the district is available for assignment to another district. [1953 c.164 §7;...
• 478.990   Penalties.
  (1) Violation of any provision of ORS 478.930 is a Class D violation. Each day’s refusal to remove fire hazards after notice by the inspecting...

Last modified: August 7, 2008