A Landlord’s Guide to Renting in Wasco County, Oregon
Wasco County is one of Oregon’s most historically resonant places. The Dalles was the end of the overland segment of the Oregon Trail, the point where exhausted emigrants decided whether to brave the Columbia River by raft or take the newly built Barlow Road through the Cascades. Celilo Falls, submerged by The Dalles Dam in 1957, had been one of the most important fishing and trading sites in North America for thousands of years before the dam silenced it. The county name honors the Wasco people, a Chinook nation whose trading village at Celilo was the economic hub of the mid-Columbia Basin. This is a county where history runs deep, and where the modern economy — from Google’s data centers to the cherry harvest — has layered itself on top of that foundation without erasing it.
The Dalles: Google, Cherries, and the Columbia Gorge
The Dalles, with approximately 15,800 residents, is one of the more economically interesting mid-sized cities in rural Oregon. Google established one of its first and largest data center campuses here in the mid-2000s, drawn by the cheap, abundant, and carbon-neutral hydroelectric power generated by The Dalles Dam on the Columbia River. The data center campus employs engineers, facilities technicians, network operations staff, and security professionals whose incomes are substantially above the regional average — and who represent some of the most financially stable tenants in the Wasco County rental market. Mid-Columbia Medical Center, one of eastern Oregon’s most capable regional hospitals, is the city’s largest employer by headcount and provides the healthcare workforce anchor that supports stable year-round rental demand.
The Dalles is also Oregon’s cherry capital. The Columbia River basin’s geology, sunshine, and river influence produce the Bing cherries and sweet cherries that compete in premium national markets every June. The cherry harvest and the broader agricultural calendar of pear, apple, wheat, and livestock operations employ a large Hispanic workforce — approximately 20.6% of the county’s overall population — whose housing needs are predominantly served by The Dalles’ residential market. Landlords in The Dalles should provide all lease documents and notices in both English and Spanish, and should use annual income documentation when screening agricultural applicants whose income concentrates seasonally.
Maupin and the Deschutes River
Maupin, a small community of approximately 400 residents on the lower Deschutes River, serves as the whitewater rafting capital of the Pacific Northwest. The lower Deschutes’ consistent flows, accessible canyon scenery, and Class III-IV rapids draw tens of thousands of rafters and kayakers annually, supporting a seasonal outfitter and hospitality economy in a town of extraordinary natural beauty. The rental market in Maupin is very thin — primarily year-round service workers and fishing/rafting outfitter employees — with significant seasonal lodging demand that creates the same STR-versus-long-term tension seen in other Oregon recreation communities.
Warm Springs Reservation Boundary and ORS Chapter 90
The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation borders Wasco County’s southwestern edge. The reservation’s primary facilities are in Jefferson County (Warm Springs Agency), and no reservation land falls within the incorporated limits of The Dalles or other Wasco County cities. Off-reservation tenancies throughout Wasco County are governed fully by ORS Chapter 90. The legal note that matters: if a landlord owns property within reservation boundaries (which are adjacent to the county’s southern edge in unincorporated areas), tribal law governs that tenancy, not Oregon state law. Most Wasco County rental properties are well clear of this boundary, but landlords with rural properties near the Jefferson County and Warm Springs Reservation border should verify applicable law before entering into or terminating any tenancy.
ORS Chapter 90 applies uniformly throughout all incorporated Wasco County communities and throughout unincorporated Wasco County land outside reservation boundaries. The statewide stabilization cap, the 90-day notice requirement for increases under 10%, the just-cause framework after year one, and the rental assistance notice requirement all apply. Mid-Columbia Community Action Council is the primary local rental assistance resource and should be listed with current contact information on every 72-hour nonpayment notice. All eviction actions are filed in the Wasco County Circuit Court in The Dalles.
Wasco County landlord-tenant matters are governed by ORS Chapter 90, Oregon’s Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. Exception: tenancies within Warm Springs Reservation boundaries governed by tribal law. 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 (ORS 90.323). Security deposit return: 31 days (ORS 90.300). No local rent control. Bilingual notices recommended. Evictions filed in Wasco County Circuit Court, The Dalles. Consult a licensed Oregon attorney before taking legal action. Last updated: April 2026.
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