2026’s Oregon legislative session featured many bills affecting land use, with a particular focus on housing and Exclusive Farm Use zoning. Jordan Ramis’ Land Use and Real Estate team tracked each bill and analyzed how they might affect current and future clients. The following is the first in our series summarizing the effects of the most impactful bills of the 2026 short session.
HB 4153 – Passed.
HB 4153 authorizes farms to develop stores of up to 10,000 square feet for retail, dining, and drinking, and also allows event uses on Exclusive Farm Use zoned land. HB 4153 thus expands the opportunity for commercial uses in EFU zones which are not directly related to what is produced on the farm, while preserving the property tax break that farms enjoy. Farms of 10 or more acres are eligible.
While farms are already allowed to include some commercial uses at a small scale, HB 4153 expands eligibility, increases the scale of the commercial uses, and streamlines the permitting process. Many of the current commercial uses allowed are related to winery operations; HB 4153 opens these opportunities to all types of farms. So if you have been struggling to find the right venue for a country wedding or corporate event, or just wish there were more places to stop and eat and take in the view when you need a break from your drive across the countryside, HB 4153 will create new opportunities.
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