Bolthole Index

Harney County, Oregon

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Hines, Oregon

Hines, Oregon has its own zoning ordinance, and the City of Hines requires a building permit from the City Administrator before a structure is erected, moved, enlarged or altered1. Zoning inside city limits is the city's, not Harney County's2. Septic and well permits are a separate track: we could not confirm who permits on-site septic inside Hines, so ask the Harney County onsite sanitation office before you buy3.

At a glance

Building permit
Required from the City Administrator; structures over 200 square feet and any structural change1
Zoning
Yes, the City of Hines Zoning Ordinance covers land inside city limits2
Zoning districts
Seven zones are published in the ordinance4
Minimum lot (RS zone)
7,500 square feet for a single-family dwelling5
Sewer
Dwellings in the RS zone must connect once city sewer is available6
Manufactured homes
Allowed in the RS zone if they meet Chapter 9 standards7
Septic authority
Not confirmed inside city limits; Harney County runs septic applications countywide3
Owner-builder
Oregon exempts owner-built homes from some structural-code requirements; city rules not confirmed8

Who to call

Building permits

City of Hines City Hall (City Administrator)

Building permits and zoning inside Hines city limits; the City Administrator issues permits and enforces the zoning ordinance

541-573-2251

101 E Barnes Avenue, Hines, OR 97738

Septic permits

Harney County Onsite Sanitation

Septic applications and site evaluations in Harney County

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 24, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Hines means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Does Hines, Oregon have zoning, and what does it mean for homes and lots?

Yes. Hines, Oregon adopted its own zoning ordinance (Ordinance 329), and it governs land inside Hines city limits2. The ordinance establishes seven zones, and the official zoning map is kept at City Hall4.

In the Single-Family Residential (RS) zone, a new single-family dwelling needs a lot of at least 7,500 square feet5. Manufactured homes are allowed in the RS zone if they meet the ordinance's Chapter 9 standards7. Rules differ by zone, so confirm the zone of a specific lot with the City Administrator before you make an offer.

Do you need a building permit in Hines, Oregon, and who issues it?

Yes. The City of Hines requires a permit from the City Administrator before any structure is erected, moved, reconstructed, extended, enlarged or altered1. The ordinance states a 200-square-foot threshold for structures, and structural changes in the Commercial zone need land-use, site-review and construction-plan approval first1.

For a single-family or duplex dwelling or accessory structure, the application must include a plot plan9. The fee is set by city ordinance at filing; we could not find the amount10.

We could not confirm whether the city also runs building inspections or issues certificates of occupancy, so ask City Hall at 541-573-225111.

Who handles building permits and zoning in Hines, and how do you reach them?

The City of Hines handles both. Building permit applications and zoning questions go to the City Administrator at City Hall, 101 E Barnes Avenue, Hines, OR 97738, phone 541-573-225111. Applications are made on forms the City Administrator provides1.

The Harney County Planning Department and Building Program serve unincorporated land; the county's own pages say incorporated Burns and Hines have separate municipal zoning12.

How do septic permits work in Hines, Oregon?

We could not confirm who permits on-site septic systems inside Hines city limits. Oregon requires a construction permit for new septic systems and for alterations and repairs13, and Harney County Onsite Sanitation processes septic applications in Harney County3. Call that office to confirm it covers your Hines address.

In the RS zone, a dwelling must connect to the city sewer once sewer becomes available to the property, so septic may not be an option on a lot the sewer already reaches6. Harney County's soils also matter: only 3% of the county's soils rate as not limited for a conventional drain field, so expect a site evaluation14.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Hines, Oregon?

We could not confirm a citywide rule for living in an RV or a tiny home in Hines. The zoning ordinance says recreational vehicle parks are not intended for residential occupancy, but that does not answer the question for a private lot. Ask the City Administrator at 541-573-2251 before you plan on it11.

Two things are confirmed. A manufactured home that meets Chapter 9 standards is allowed in the RS zone7, and the city may allow one temporary accessory mobile home in any zone for the care of an elderly or infirm relative certified by a doctor15.

Building a home in Hines: the steps, in order

  1. Confirm the lot's zone and setbacks with the City Administrator11.
  2. Ask the Harney County onsite sanitation office whether the lot needs a septic permit or must connect to city sewer3.
  3. Prepare a plot plan and apply for the building permit from the City Administrator9.
  4. Check whether the lot is in a special flood hazard area; development there needs a development permit before construction begins16.
  5. Ask City Hall about inspections and a certificate of occupancy, which we could not confirm.

What stays with Harney County, and what should you check before you buy in Hines?

Land outside Hines city limits is covered by Harney County's rules, not the city's; see the Harney County page for those answers. Oregon requires a permit from the Water Resources Commission for each water supply well a landowner constructs, alters, converts or abandons17; we could not confirm a separate Hines rule for private wells.

Harney County has about 0.7 people per square mile and the nearest city of 100,000 or more is about 132 miles away1819. Harney County's effective property tax rate is 1%20, and the median property tax bill is $1,845 a year21.

Watch-outs

  • Hines city limits and unincorporated Harney County follow different rules, so confirm the address is inside the city before relying on this page2.
  • We could not confirm an owner-builder exemption, building inspection rule or certificate of occupancy inside Hines; ask City Hall at 541-573-225111.
  • Any development in a special flood hazard area inside Hines needs a development permit before construction begins16.

Sources

  1. City of Hines Ordinance 329 — Hines Zoning Ordinance 2022 (Hines), quoted and re-checked
  2. City of Hines Ordinance 329 — Hines Zoning Ordinance 2022 (Hines), quoted and re-checked
  3. Onsite Sanitation | Harney County, Oregon, quoted and re-checked
  4. City of Hines Ordinance 329 — Hines Zoning Ordinance 2022 (Hines), quoted and re-checked
  5. City of Hines Ordinance 329 — Hines Zoning Ordinance 2022 (Hines), quoted and re-checked
  6. City of Hines Ordinance 329 — Hines Zoning Ordinance 2022 (Hines), quoted and re-checked
  7. City of Hines Ordinance 329 — Hines Zoning Ordinance 2022 (Hines), quoted and re-checked
  8. 2023 Oregon Residential Specialty Code - ORS 455.320 reprinted (Oregon statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  9. City of Hines Ordinance 329 — Hines Zoning Ordinance 2022 (Hines), quoted and re-checked
  10. City of Hines Ordinance 329 — Hines Zoning Ordinance 2022 (Hines), quoted and re-checked
  11. City of Hines City Hall (City Administrator) (cityofhines.gov)
  12. Harney County Zoning Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
  13. Housing and Onsite Wastewater Management (Oregon statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  14. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
  15. City of Hines Ordinance 329 — Hines Zoning Ordinance 2022 (Hines), quoted and re-checked
  16. City of Hines Ordinance 331 — Floodplain Management Regulations (Hines), quoted and re-checked
  17. Landowner Constructed Wells (Oregon statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  18. Population density: Bolthole Index county data
  19. Straight-line distance from the county center to the nearest city of 100,000+ people: Bolthole Index county data
  20. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  21. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 24, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Hines

Hines’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Erection, movement, reconstruction, extension, enlargement, or alteration of a structure inside Hines city limits.

    • For structures over 200 square feet, a building permit is required.
    • For a single-family or duplex dwelling or accessory structure, the applicant must submit a plot plan with the permit application.
    • All structural changes and construction in the Commercial Zone require a permit and are issued after land-use, site-review, and construction-plan approval.
    • The applicant must pay the fee established by City ordinance when filing.

    structure-area threshold: > 200 square feet (The ordinance separately requires a permit before the listed structural work on any structure.)

    “Prior to the erection, movement, reconstruction, extension, enlargement, or alteration of any structure, a permit for such erection, movement, reconstruction, extension, enlargement, or alteration shall be obtained from the City Administrator.”
  • Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

    Land inside Hines city limits.

    • Ordinance 329 states that Exhibit A guides the City Planning Commission and City Staff in questions concerning land use, building, development, and actions addressed by the Zoning Ordinance.
    “This Ordinance shall be known as the City of Hines Zoning Ordinance.”
  • Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

    Land inside Hines city limits.

    • The official zoning map is located in City Council Chambers at City Hall and adopted by reference.

    zoning districts: RS, RL, RM, C, C-D, I, P (The RL Zone description states it is outside city limits but within the Urban Growth Boundary.)

    “This ordinance hereby establishes the following land use zones for the City:”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    New single-family dwellings in the Single-Family Residential (RS) Zone inside Hines city limits.

    • The RS standards also specify 12,000 square feet for duplexes, 15,000 square feet for triplexes, and 20,000 square feet for fourplexes.

    minimum lot area: 7500 square feet (Single-family dwellings in the RS Zone.)

    “1. Single-Family Dwellings 7,500 square feet”
  • Manufactured homesAllowed (with conditions)

    Manufactured homes in the Single-Family Residential (RS) Zone inside Hines city limits.

    • Manufactured homes must meet Chapter 9 standards.
    • Each dwelling unit must use two listed design features.
    “Single-family dwellings, including manufactured homes, meeting the standards of Chapter 9.”
  • Accessory dwellingsLimited

    A temporary accessory mobile-home dwelling for relative care in every Hines zoning district.

    • The City may allow one temporary accessory mobile-home dwelling in every zone.
    • It must be necessary for care or custody of an elderly, mentally handicapped, or infirm relative certified by a medical doctor.
    • Residential utilities and facilities must be provided and septic feasibility is required before approval.
    • The permit becomes void if the relative moves, is absent over 120 days, or leaves with no likelihood of returning, subject to an exception for extraordinary circumstances such as extended hospitalization.

    absence period before permit void: > 120 days (Extraordinary circumstances such as extended hospitalization may support an exception.)

    “As a temporary use in every zone, the City may allow one accessory mobile home dwelling complying with the standards of Section 14.9.100 of this Chapter, except subsections 14.9.100(B) and (F) and the manufactured date of June 15, 1976 in subsection 14.9.100(A), and providing that no additions to the mobile home shall be permitted in conjunction with a primary dwelling with the following findings:”
  • Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

    Dwellings in the Single-Family Residential (RS) Zone inside Hines city limits.

    • Connection is required before occupancy when the city sewer system becomes available to the property.
    “Before any dwelling is occupied, it must be connected to the city sewer system at such time as the city sewer system becomes available to the property on which the dwelling is located.”
  • Building in a floodplainRequired

    Development within special flood hazard areas inside Hines city limits.

    • Development must comply with Ordinance 331 and all other applicable regulations.
    • A structure or land may not be constructed, located, extended, converted, or altered without full compliance.
    “A development permit shall be obtained before construction or development begins within any area horizontally within the special flood hazard area established in section 3.2.”
  • Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

    Hines zoning building-permit applications.

    • The amount is established by City ordinance at filing; no fee amount was located in the opened source.
    “The applicant shall pay a fee as established by City ordinance at the time the application is filed.”
  • Permit processPublished (with conditions)

    Single-family, duplex, accessory-structure, and other proposed uses inside Hines city limits.

    • For a single-family or duplex dwelling or accessory structures, submit a plot plan with the permit application to the City Administrator.
    • The plot plan must include listed lot, structure, setback, driveway, parking, water, sewer, and sidewalk information.
    • All other proposed uses require a site plan.
    • Commercial-zone structural construction or changes require land-use, site-review, and construction-plan approval.
    “In order to obtain the City approval of a building permit for a single-family or duplex dwelling unit and/or accessory structures, a plot plan must be prepared and presented, along with the building permit application, to the City Administrator.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Hines or Harney County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Hines city limits.
  • Inspections — Construction inside Hines city limits.
  • Certificate of occupancy — New or altered structures inside Hines city limits.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Dwelling units inside Hines city limits.
  • Lot coverage — Lots inside Hines city limits.
11 more unanswered
  • Living in an RV
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Subdividing land
  • Short-term rentals

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Hines publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Harney County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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