Morrow County is a north-central Oregon county of approximately 12,400 residents, situated between the Columbia River to the north and the Blue Mountains to the south. It is one of Oregon’s most economically surprising small counties — a place where Columbia River wind farms, massive tech company data centers, and the Port of Morrow’s second-largest-in-Oregon shipping tonnage have transformed what was once a purely agricultural county into an economy with a remarkably broad industrial base. Boardman, at approximately 4,500 residents, has emerged as the county’s commercial center and fastest-growing community, propelled by the concentration of technology infrastructure investment along the Columbia River corridor. The county seat, Heppner, in the hills to the south, remains a traditional small ranching and agricultural community.
The county’s population is approximately 41% Hispanic, reflecting the large agricultural labor force that works the county’s irrigated river-bottom farms and dryland wheat fields. Median household income of approximately $70,200 puts the county above many rural Oregon comparators, reflecting the wage premium of tech sector and port employment. All landlord-tenant matters are governed by ORS Chapter 90, with eviction actions filed in the Morrow County Circuit Court in Heppner. No local rent control exists in any Morrow County community.
County and city-specific rules that apply alongside Oregon state law
Category
Details
Rental Registration
No rental registration or landlord licensing requirement in Morrow County, Boardman, Heppner, or any other county city as of 2026. ORS Chapter 90 disclosure requirements apply throughout — landlords must provide tenants with the name and address of the property owner or authorized manager and the person authorized to receive service of process at lease commencement. Given the county’s 41% Hispanic population, providing disclosures in both English and Spanish is a recommended best practice.
Rent Control / Stabilization
No local rent control. Oregon’s statewide stabilization under ORS 90.323 applies — annual increases capped at 7% + CPI, with 90 days’ notice for increases under 10% and 180 days for 10% or more. New construction (certificate of occupancy within 15 years) is exempt. In a tight market like Boardman, where data center and industrial expansion has driven housing demand faster than supply has grown, the stabilization cap and notice requirements are meaningful operational constraints.
Boardman: Data Centers & the Columbia River Economy
Boardman has become one of the most significant data center locations in the Pacific Northwest, attracting major technology infrastructure investment from companies including Amazon (AWS), Google, and Apple. The combination of cheap Columbia River hydroelectric power, abundant land, and favorable Oregon tax treatment for server farms has made Boardman’s industrial corridor one of the most densely concentrated data center locations in the western United States. Data center construction and operations require a permanent workforce of technicians, engineers, electricians, and facility managers whose incomes are substantially above the regional average. These tech-adjacent workers — often relocating for multi-year assignments — represent the most financially stable tenant profile in the Boardman market.
Port of Morrow
The Port of Morrow, located on the Columbia River near Boardman, is the second largest Oregon port by shipping tonnage and a significant employer in the county. The port’s industrial complex includes agriculture processing facilities, chemical operations, and the associated logistics and transportation infrastructure that serves the Columbia River Basin export economy. Port workers and industrial facility employees represent a stable working-class tenant segment in the Boardman area.
Agricultural Workforce
Despite the data center economy’s prominence, agriculture remains the foundation of Morrow County’s identity. Irrigated farming along the Columbia River produces potatoes, corn, alfalfa, onions, and other crops; dryland wheat farming covers the plateau south of the river; and cattle ranching continues throughout the county. The agricultural workforce is predominantly Hispanic and approximately 41% of the overall county population reflects this history. Landlords screening agricultural worker applicants should review annual income documentation — tax returns and W-2s for a full calendar year — rather than relying on single paycheck income verification during seasonal low periods. Bilingual lease and notice practices are standard in this market.
Heppner: The County Seat
Heppner, the county seat, is a traditional ranching community of approximately 1,100 residents in the hills south of Boardman. It hosts the Morrow County Circuit Court, county government, and serves the surrounding rural ranching and dryland farming communities. The rental market in Heppner is very small — a handful of units serving local government employees, healthcare staff at Pioneer Memorial Hospital, and county workers. Heppner is historically notable as the site of Oregon’s deadliest flood, a 1903 disaster that killed more than 225 people. It is not a meaningful investment market for residential rental.
Security Deposits & Rental Assistance
No statutory deposit cap in Oregon. Return within 31 days with written itemized accounting (ORS 90.300). Double damages plus attorney fees for wrongful withholding. Rental assistance notice required with every 72-hour nonpayment notice (ORS 90.395). Oregon 211 and Umatilla-Morrow Head Start (which provides some family support services) are the primary referral resources. Include Oregon 211 contact information with every nonpayment notice, bilingual if possible.
ORS Chapter 90 statutes, notice requirements, and landlord rights that apply in Morrow County
⚡ Quick Overview
10
Days Notice (Nonpayment)
30
Days Notice (Violation)
30-60
Avg Total Days
$$88-270
Filing Fee (Approx)
💰 Nonpayment of Rent
Notice Type10-Day Notice of Nonpayment (or 13-Day if served on day 5)
Notice Period10 days
Tenant Can Cure?Yes
Days to Hearing7-14 days
Days to Writ4 days
Total Estimated Timeline30-60 days
Total Estimated Cost$200-600
⚠️ Watch Out
CRITICAL: 4-day grace period before notice can be served. 10-day notice can only be served on or after 8th day of rental period. 13-day notice can be served on or after 5th day. Must include mandatory Eviction for Nonpayment of Rent notice per HB 2001 (2023) with rental assistance info in multiple languages - court dismisses without it. Accepting partial rent may invalidate notice. Court MUST dismiss FED if tenant pays all rent or rental assistance is received before judgment. Statewide rent control (SB 608): 7%+CPI cap (max 10% per SB 611). Just cause eviction required after first year of occupancy.
Serve the required notice based on the eviction reason (nonpayment or lease violation).
Wait for the notice period to expire. If tenant cures the issue (where allowed), the process stops.
File an eviction case with the Circuit Court - FED (Forcible Entry and Detainer). Pay the filing fee (~$$88-270).
Tenant is served with a summons and has the opportunity to respond.
Attend the court hearing and present your case.
If you prevail, obtain a writ of possession from the court.
Law enforcement executes the writ and removes the tenant if necessary.
⚠️ Disclaimer: This page provides general information about Oregon eviction laws and does not constitute legal advice.
Eviction procedures can vary by county and may change over time. Local jurisdictions may have additional requirements or tenant protections.
For specific legal guidance, consult a qualified Oregon attorney or local legal aid organization.
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⚠️ Disclaimer: These calculations are estimates based on state statutes and typical court timelines. Actual results vary by county, court backlog, and case specifics. Always verify current requirements with your local courthouse. This is not legal advice.
Columbia River Basin — AWS, Google, and Apple data centers in Boardman, Port of Morrow (2nd largest in Oregon by tonnage), wind energy, Columbia River irrigation farming, dryland wheat, 41% Hispanic population. Tech economy has driven Boardman market well above typical rural Oregon benchmarks. No local rent control.
Morrow County
Screen Before You Sign
Verify income at 3x rent. Data center technicians and engineers (Amazon AWS, Google, Apple Boardman facilities), Port of Morrow industrial workers, wind farm operations and maintenance staff, and Morrow County government employees are the strongest profiles. For agricultural applicants, review annual income documentation bilingually. Note that evictions file in Heppner — plan court schedules accordingly for Boardman-area properties. Include Oregon 211 with every nonpayment notice.
A Landlord’s Guide to Renting in Morrow County, Oregon
Morrow County is a study in economic paradox. A county of 12,400 people, much of it scrub-sage plateau and wheat-stubble dryland, where the county seat is a ranching town of 1,100 residents — yet it hosts some of the largest technology infrastructure investment in the Pacific Northwest. The Columbia River in Morrow County’s north provides cheap hydroelectric power; the plateau provides flat, cheap land; Oregon provides favorable tax treatment for data center equipment. Amazon, Google, and Apple have all concluded that this combination makes Morrow County one of the better places on earth to put servers. The result is a rental market in Boardman that is unlike anything else in rural Oregon: a small city where tech sector wages coexist with agricultural worker households, where demand for quality housing has consistently outpaced supply, and where the median income benchmarks are meaningfully above the rural Oregon baseline.
Boardman: Where Amazon Meets the Columbia
Boardman, at approximately 4,500 residents, is Morrow County’s fastest-growing city and its de facto economic center. The city’s position on Interstate 84 and the Columbia River, combined with access to the Port of Morrow’s industrial infrastructure and the abundant Columbia River hydropower of the Pacific Northwest grid, made it attractive to technology companies seeking locations for large-scale data center campuses from the mid-2000s onward. Amazon Web Services operates multiple large data center facilities in the Boardman area. Google and Apple have similarly invested in the Columbia River corridor. These facilities require permanent workforces of network engineers, facility operations technicians, electricians, security professionals, and administrative staff who earn wages well above what the surrounding agricultural economy generates.
For landlords, the data center economy represents the most compelling opportunity in this market. A network operations technician at an AWS facility or a facilities manager at a Google data center earns an income that comfortably supports lease obligations at Boardman rent levels — and is typically relocating from outside the county for a multi-year assignment, with strong motivation to establish stable housing immediately upon arrival. The supply of quality residential rental units in Boardman has historically been insufficient to meet the demand that data center employment generates, creating conditions where well-maintained units at fair market rents lease quickly to desirable tenants.
The Port of Morrow and Industrial Employment
The Port of Morrow, situated on the Columbia River at Boardman, handles more freight tonnage than any Oregon port except the Port of Portland, making it a critical link in the Columbia River Basin export chain. The port complex supports agriculture processing, chemical operations, and the full range of industrial services that a major river-based commodity export facility requires. Port workers, industrial facility operators, and the transportation and logistics employees who move goods through the Port of Morrow add another tier of stable, working-class employment to Boardman’s economy. Wind energy operations and maintenance — Morrow County sits in the Columbia River Gorge wind corridor that has made the region one of the nation’s most productive wind energy zones — contribute a further employment segment.
The Agricultural Foundation and Bilingual Practice
Despite the data center headlines, agriculture remains the deepest and oldest dimension of Morrow County’s economy. Columbia River irrigation supports intensive vegetable and hay farming in the county’s north; dryland wheat farming covers the plateau; cattle ranching operates throughout. The workforce that makes this agriculture run is predominantly Hispanic — approximately 41% of the county’s total population — reflecting generations of agricultural immigration that has made Morrow County one of the more diverse rural counties in eastern Oregon. Landlords in Boardman and Irrigon should provide lease documents, notices, and communications in both English and Spanish as standard practice. The rental assistance notice required with every 72-hour nonpayment notice (ORS 90.395) should include Oregon 211 contact information in both languages.
ORS Chapter 90 in Morrow County
Oregon’s landlord-tenant law applies in full throughout Morrow County. The statewide stabilization cap, the 90-day notice requirement for rent increases under 10%, the just-cause eviction framework after year one, and all other ORS Chapter 90 requirements apply without modification. One logistical note for Boardman-area landlords: the Morrow County Circuit Court is located in Heppner — approximately 45 miles south of Boardman on Highway 74. Landlords with properties in Boardman or Irrigon who need to file eviction proceedings must plan for the Heppner court location when calculating filing timelines and scheduling hearings.
Morrow County landlord-tenant matters are governed by ORS Chapter 90, Oregon’s Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. Nonpayment notice: 72 hours (ORS 90.394). Lease violation: 30 days with right to cure (ORS 90.392). Extreme violations: 24 hours (ORS 90.396). No-cause termination after 1 year: 90 days + qualifying reason + 1 month relocation assistance (ORS 90.427). Rent stabilization: 7% + CPI annually; 90-day notice for increases under 10% (ORS 90.323). Security deposit return: 31 days (ORS 90.300). 41% Hispanic population; bilingual notices recommended. Evictions filed in Morrow County Circuit Court, Heppner (~45 miles from Boardman). No local rent control. Consult a licensed Oregon attorney before taking legal action. Last updated: April 2026.
Disclaimer: This page provides general information about landlord-tenant law in Morrow County, Oregon and is not legal advice. Laws change frequently. Always verify current requirements with a licensed Oregon attorney before taking legal action. Last updated: April 2026.
