Can the City annex my property?
The State of Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) governs annexation of property. In
addition, the City of Roseburg and Douglas County have executed an Urban
Growth Management Agreement that includes criteria for annexation. Generally,
to be annexed a property must:
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Be within the City’s UGB;
Be contiguous to the existing City boundary;
Have urban services available or planned for, such as water, sewer, storm
drains, roads, etc.; and
Have the consent of the property owner.
ORS does provide for annexation without property owner consent based on strict
requirements. Some of these provisions are:
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Property surrounded on all sides by City limits, classified as an “island,”
can be annexed;
Property can be included with an annexation request if the consenting
property includes more than 50% of the registered voters within the whole
area to be annexed and/or the consenting property exceeds 50% of the
assessed value of the entire area to be annexed;
The City holds an election to allow the voters to decide if property should
be annexed.
What happens if my property is annexed?
If and when property is annexed, it receives all the same rights and privileges as
other City properties. Benefits of annexing properties into the City’s jurisdiction
include:
 enhanced citizen involvement,
 access to public safety services,
 sanitary sewer service availability,
 reliable water availability,
 broadened financial support
 coordinated urban services
 urban transportation facilities
 urban development regulations
 code enforcement
Citizens of Roseburg citizens participate in community civic affairs including
voting on future taxes, special elections, and may serve on the City Council and
other City commissions.
Once annexed, the property has access to City water services at the same rate
as all City residents. Water provided to properties within the UGB, but outside
the City limits is subject to an additional out of service area fee.
Although the Land Use and Development Ordinance (LUDO) provides that
annexed property retain its existing zoning classification until it is rezoned to a
City classification, property is typically rezoned concurrently with the
annexation process to a City zone compatible with the Roseburg Comprehensive
Plan designation. Because the Comprehensive Plan includes property in the
UGB, City and County zones can be easily matched. A City zoning classification
similar to and consistent with the previous County zoning designation is usually
given to annexed properties.
While the zone classification given to annexed property usually matches that of
the County, the regulations may differ. For example, the County zone may
require a minimum lot area of 1 acre while the City designation may require only
10,000 square feet for the same type of use. The County Ordinance may allow
keeping farm animals by right, while the City has limitations and requires a
livestock permit issued by the Police Department.
A change in jurisdiction may result in some non-conformity. Typically, if what
was occurring on the property while it was under County jurisdiction was legal,
it can continue once the property is annexed, even if it does not fully meet City
regulations. Any non-conforming activity is subject to the provisions in LUDO
and the City Municipal Code, meaning discontinuing or abandoning a use can
result in having to comply with City regulations.
City properties are taxed at a different rate than County properties. The City
base tax rate is typically higher than the County because it supports City
services such as police, fire, water line upgrades and maintenance, road upkeep,
park maintenance, etc. Remember too, that other taxes will no longer apply. For
example, if the property is currently being assessed for Fire District No. 2,
those charges go away once the property enters the City’s jurisdiction.
Because property taxes are based on assessed value, along with other factors,
such as type of use, owner occupancy, etc., it is difficult to predict what the
exact property tax differences will be between County and City tax rates.