Ashland Eviction Laws & Process

Oregon landlord guide — notices, timelines, court filing & local rules

Eviction Laws in Ashland, Oregon

Ashland is a Jackson County city of about 21,000 at the base of the Siskiyou Mountains in southern Oregon, on Interstate 5 about 15 miles south of Medford near the California border. It is a cultural and university town, anchored by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Southern Oregon University, with an arts-and-tourism economy and a large retiree population. It is expensive for southern Oregon — home values well above the regional norm and a tight rental market — and renter-heavy at roughly 48 percent, with a bimodal renter base of SOU students, hospitality workers, and retirees. Household income looks modest, around $68,000, partly because students pull it down, and the poverty rate near 15 percent reflects the student presence. The practical filing point: Ashland shares Medford’s court — the Jackson County Circuit Court, in Medford. Eviction cases are filed there as Forcible Entry and Detainer (FED) actions.

Oregon eviction law is set by the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 90), with the court process governed by the FED statutes (ORS 105.105–105.168). A landlord must serve the correct written notice before filing. Since 2019, Oregon has had statewide rent control and just-cause eviction protections under Senate Bill 608, and recent legislation (SB 611 in 2023 and HB 2001 in 2023) tightened the rent cap and reshaped the nonpayment process. Self-help eviction — lockouts, shutting off utilities, or removing a tenant’s belongings — is illegal and carries significant statutory penalties.

The single most important current number for an Ashland landlord is the rent cap: for 2026, the maximum allowable rent increase under Oregon law is 9.5 percent. That figure is recalculated and published by the Oregon Department of Administrative Services every September 30, so confirm the current year’s number before issuing any increase.

Ashland & Jackson County — Local Rules That Affect Landlords

Statewide Rent Control — the 2026 Cap Is 9.5%. Under SB 608 (2019) and SB 611 (2023), annual rent increases are capped at the lesser of 7 percent plus inflation (CPI) or a 10 percent hard cap — 9.5 percent for 2026. The cap applies to units 15 years or older (newer construction is exempt), you may raise rent only once in any 12-month period, no increase is allowed in the first year, and you must give 90 days’ written notice. Raising rent above the cap exposes you to liability for three months’ rent plus the tenant’s actual damages — and in a high-cost market like Ashland, that is an expensive error.

Shares Medford’s Court — File in Jackson County. Ashland sits in Jackson County, whose Circuit Court is in Medford, about 15 miles north. So an Ashland FED is filed in the same Jackson County Circuit Court that serves Medford — plan for the trip to Medford to file and appear.

Local Rules — Confirm With the City. Ashland does not appear to impose a Portland- or Eugene-style mandatory relocation-assistance or tenant-screening ordinance, so eviction compliance is generally the statewide ORS Chapter 90 framework. That said, Ashland is an unusually active small city on housing policy and regulates short-term rentals, so confirm any current local rental rules with the City before issuing a notice or a rent increase.

A University & Tourism Town — Mind STR vs. Long-Term Tenancy. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Ashland’s tourist draw make short-term vacation rentals common, and that creates a classification trap. A genuine short-term/transient lodging arrangement falls outside the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act — but a long-term residential tenant is fully covered, with all the notice, just-cause, and rent-cap protections. Don’t try to treat a long-term tenant as a “guest” to sidestep the eviction rules; a court looks at the real arrangement, and Ashland separately regulates short-term rentals. SOU also adds a student-rental segment near campus, with academic-calendar leasing, parental guarantors, and joint-and-several liability on roommate leases.

A Renter-Heavy, Higher-Cost Market — Screen Carefully. With renters near half the city and a bimodal base of students, hospitality workers, and retirees, demand is steady and the market is tight — but student-driven poverty and seasonal hospitality work mean nonpayment risk is real. Verify income and rental history against written criteria, and use creditworthy guarantors for students who lack their own income.

Just-Cause Eviction After 12 Months (ORS 90.427). During the first 12 months you may end a month-to-month tenancy without cause on 30 days’ notice. After 12 months you need a qualifying reason — tenant-based (nonpayment, lease violation) or a qualifying landlord reason (landlord/family move-in, sale to an occupying buyer, demolition, major repairs), the latter requiring 90 days’ notice and one month’s rent relocation assistance for landlords with more than four units. Because student tenancies often turn over before the 12-month line, plan terminations around it and document the qualifying reason.

Nonpayment of Rent — Mind the Procedure. Rent has a mandatory 4-day grace period before a notice can be served. You then serve a 10-day notice (on or after the 8th day of the rental period) or a 13-day notice (on or after the 5th day), and the notice must include the mandatory HB 2001 (2023) “eviction for nonpayment” disclosure with rental-assistance information in multiple languages — courts dismiss FED cases that omit it. The court must dismiss the case if the tenant pays in full or rental assistance is received before judgment. You cannot evict for unpaid late fees alone, and accepting partial rent can invalidate your notice.

Source-of-Income & Expanded Fair Housing. Beyond the federal protected classes, Oregon law (ORS Chapter 659A) bars discrimination based on source of income — you cannot refuse a Section 8 voucher or other subsidy — plus sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, survivor status (domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking), and, under SB 599 (2025), immigration or citizenship status. Apply the same standards to every applicant.

Security Deposits. Oregon has no statewide deposit cap, but you must return the deposit with a written itemized accounting within 31 days of the tenancy ending (ORS 90.300). Normal wear and tear is not deductible — a point worth remembering in a high-turnover student market. Ashland adds no extra municipal deposit rules.

Self-Help Eviction Is Illegal. Lockouts, removing belongings, and utility shut-offs are prohibited (ORS 90.375) and expose you to substantial damages. Only the sheriff, under a court-issued writ, can remove a tenant.

Free Legal Help & Rent Assistance. Legal Aid Services of Oregon and the Oregon Law Center assist qualifying low-income tenants, and Jackson County programs offer rent assistance. Because a nonpayment FED must be dismissed if rental assistance arrives before judgment, helping a behind-but-stable tenant connect with assistance early is often faster and cheaper than a contested case.

Jackson County Circuit Court — Where Ashland Landlords File

Ashland landlords file FED (eviction) actions in the Jackson County Circuit Court — the same court that serves Medford — at the Jackson County Justice Building, 100 South Oakdale Avenue, Medford, OR 97501; confirm the current filing location and FED procedures with the court before filing. The FED filing fee is roughly $88, and Oregon’s FED process is fast — a first appearance is typically set about a week after filing. If the tenant contests, the court schedules a trial; if the landlord prevails, the court issues a judgment of restitution and the sheriff executes the writ. Remember that the case will be dismissed if the mandatory HB 2001 nonpayment notice was not attached, or if the tenant pays in full or rental assistance is received before judgment. Self-help eviction is illegal — only the sheriff may remove a tenant under a court-issued writ.