2023 Oregon Revised Statutes › Volume : 12 - Public Health › Chapter 453 - Hazardous Substances; Radiation Sources › Section 453.886 - Notice by county or local government required before incurring costs; owner’s or lienholder’s proposal for decontamination and certification; injunction to prevent use of property; priority for liens for costs incurred.

(1) Before incurring costs to decontaminate a property that is a nuisance described in ORS 105.555 (1)(c) or to have the property certified as fit for use under ORS 453.885, a county or other local government shall give notice to each owner of record for the property and to each person that has a mortgage, trust deed or other lien on the property recorded in the county deed records. A notice given by the county or local government to an owner or lienholder shall allow the owner or lienholder not less than 60 days to respond.
(2) An owner or lienholder making a timely response to a notice given under subsection (1) of this section may propose a course of action by the owner or lienholder to decontaminate and obtain certification of the property within a reasonable time. If the owner or lienholder proposes a course of action that may be reasonably expected to achieve the decontamination and certification of the property, except as provided in this subsection the county or other local government shall suspend other efforts to decontaminate or obtain certification of the property. This subsection does not prevent the county or local government from securing the property by obtaining an injunction against use of the property.
(3) If more than one owner or lienholder proposes a reasonable course of action for a property, the county or other local government may require that the owners and lienholders proposing courses of action work together to decontaminate and obtain certification of the property. The county or local government may require an owner or lienholder to periodically report to the county or local government regarding efforts to carry out a course of action. The county or local government may resume efforts to decontaminate and obtain certification of a property if the county or local government determines, after opportunity for a hearing, that an owner or lienholder has failed to diligently pursue the course of action proposed by the owner or lienholder and to complete the course of action within a reasonable time.
(4) A lien under ORS 105.585 (2) for costs incurred by the county or local government in decontaminating and obtaining certification of the property is superior to, has priority over and shall be fully satisfied before all other liens, judgments, mortgages, security interests or encumbrances on the property other than tax liens, regardless of the date of creating, filing or recording of the lien, judgment, mortgage, security interest or encumbrance, if the county or other local government incurs the cost after giving notice to owners and lienholders under subsection (1) of this section and:
(a) No owner or lienholder provided a response on or before the 60th day after the giving of the notice; or
(b) An owner or lienholder for the property timely responded to the notice with a proposed course of action for decontaminating and obtaining certification of the property, but failed to complete the course of action within:
(A) Eight months after the notice date; or
(B) A date more than eight months after the notice date that was agreed to by the county or local government that gave the notice and the owner or lienholder that timely responded to the notice. [2007 c.673 §1]
Note:
453.886 was enacted into law by the Legislative Assembly but was not added to or made a part of ORS chapter 453 or any series therein by legislative action. See Preface to Oregon Revised Statutes for further explanation.