Rental application & screening fee law in Oregon
Limited to actual screening cost
Oregon caps applicant screening charges at the landlord's average actual cost, allows only one charge per 60 days, and requires refunds when no screening happens — with cities like Portland and Eugene adding their own rules on top.
What the law says
ORS 90.295 limits an Oregon applicant screening charge to the landlord's average actual cost of screening. A landlord may collect only one screening charge from an applicant in any 60-day period, and must refund the charge within 30 days if the unit is filled before screening or no screening takes place.
The statute carries real teeth: an applicant wrongly charged can recover twice the amount of the charge plus a statutory penalty. Note that some secondary 50-state compilations wrongly list Oregon as having no limit — the statute is primary-verified.
Oregon cities layer on their own rules: Eugene caps the charge below the state formula, and Portland's screening ordinance adds fee and refund requirements of its own.
Beyond the fee limit
The price rule is only part of the law. Oregon also imposes these obligations:
- Only one screening charge per applicant per 60-day period.
- Refund within 30 days if the unit is filled or no screening occurs.
- A receipt is required.
- Penalties apply for overcharging.
Read the law
Local rules in Oregon
These Oregon cities add their own screening-fee rules on top of state law:
- Eugene — Eugene caps the applicant screening charge below Oregon's statewide actual-cost rule — landlords may charge the state amount or a low flat city figure, whichever is less.
- Portland — Portland's FAIR screening ordinance adds screening-process limits and its own fee and refund rules on top of Oregon state law.
What's the actual limit in Oregon?
Fee limits change with inflation adjustments, local ordinances, and new legislation. Use our free calculator to look up the current limit for your rental's ZIP code.
Calculate your fee limitsThis page is provided for general information only and is not legal advice. Fee rules change — caps re-index to inflation, new legislation takes effect, and cities adopt their own ordinances — so always confirm against the official statutory text linked above before relying on it. The federal Fair Housing Act applies everywhere, regardless of state or local fee rules.