Portland Expands 'Nuisance Property' Code to Target Trafficking and Guns

New ordinance lowers threshold for city to label properties as chronic nuisances, raising concerns about impact on small businesses.

Jan. 28, 2026 at 7:55am

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Portland's Community and Public Safety Committee has advanced an ordinance that would broaden the city's chronic nuisance property code to explicitly cover human trafficking and gun violence, while also easing enforcement thresholds. The proposal would extend the documentation window from 30 to 90 days, reduce the required number of documented incidents from three to two, and transfer final sign-off authority from the police chief to the city administrator.

Why it matters

The city argues the current nuisance property code is too narrow and outdated, failing to address modern crime patterns like human trafficking and gun violence, particularly along the NE 82nd Avenue corridor. However, critics worry the expanded enforcement could disproportionately impact small business owners in working-class neighborhoods.

The details

The proposed ordinance would update Chapter 14B.60 of Portland's code, adding trafficking- and firearm-related offenses to the list of 'Nuisance Activities' that can trigger the chronic nuisance designation. City staff say the changes are meant to provide an earlier, more administrative path for addressing problem properties before issues spiral out of control. But some worry the new rules could unfairly target small businesses already struggling to stay afloat.

  • The Community and Public Safety Committee discussed the ordinance on Tuesday, January 28, 2026.
  • The proposal was first developed in 2024 through the City Attorney's office with input from the Portland Police Bureau.

The players

Steve Novick

District 3 Councilor who is the sponsor of the ordinance.

Multnomah County District Attorney's office

Requested stronger tools to go after human trafficking at motels and businesses along NE 82nd Avenue, helping shape the proposal.

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What’s next

If the ordinance advances from the committee, it will move through the normal City Council process, including more public testimony and potential amendments, before a final vote.

The takeaway

This proposal highlights the city's efforts to modernize its nuisance property laws to better address emerging crime trends like human trafficking and gun violence, but it has raised concerns about the potential impact on small businesses, especially in working-class neighborhoods.