This legislation temporarily removes the income requirement for homebuyers purchasing homes benefitting from the Affordable Housing System Development Charge (SDC) Exemption Program. Removal of the homebuyer income requirement only applies to Affordable Housing SDC homeownership units that were applied for by the builder and had their building permits issued prior to January 1, 2026, and have not sold prior to September 30, 2028 (the sunset date of the Temporary SDC Exemption Program).Portland Housing Bureau (PHB) administers the Affordable Housing SDC Exemption Program authorized under PCC 30.01.095. This development incentive helps promote the creation of newly built homes. Homeownership is traditionally considered to be a generational wealth-building tool and provides stability for families.The Affordable Housing SDC Exemption Program reduces the building permit cost by around $30,000 for each new home built, thereby encouraging the development of new homeownership opportunities within Portland.The Affordable Housing SDC Exemption Program requires homes to be owner-occupied and not used as rental properties. Currently, homebuyers must income-qualify by earning no more than 100% of area median family income (MFI) for a household of four. The sale price cap for 2026 is $455,000.On July 16, 2025, Council passed ordinance 192082, which temporarily exempts system development charges for new housing in Portland with permit issue dates between August 15, 2025, and September 30, 2028, with the intention of creating 5,000 new housing units. The Temporary SDC Exemption Program applies to all newly built residential housing units, not just affordable housing units. As such, homebuyers purchasing units that received the Temporary SDC Exemption do not need to income-qualify.Temporarily removing the income requirement for the Affordable Housing SDC Exemption Program helps homebuilders who opted to participate in the Affordable Housing SDC Exemption Program and had their building permit issued prior to the effective date of the Temporary SDC Exemption Program to sell units that remain unsold without needing to find an income-qualified homebuyer, similar to the Temporary SDC Exemption Program.
Official proposal and impact statementShould Portland amend Partial and Full Exemptions of System Development Charges for Affordable Housing Developments Code to temporarily remove income requirements for…
This legislation temporarily removes the income requirement for homebuyers purchasing homes benefitting from the Affordable Housing System Development Charge (SDC) Exemption Program. Removal of the homebuyer income requirement only applies to Affordable Housing SDC homeownership units that were applied for by the builder and had their building permits issued prior to January 1, 2026, and have not sold prior to September 30, 2028 (the sunset date of the Temporary SDC Exemption Program).Portland Housing Bureau (PHB) administers the Affordable Housing SDC Exemption Program authorized under PCC 30.01.095. This development incentive helps promote the creation of newly built homes. Homeownership is traditionally considered to be a generational wealth-building tool and provides stability for families.The Affordable Housing SDC Exemption Program reduces the building permit cost by around $30,000 for each new home built, thereby encouraging the development of new homeownership opportunities within Portland.The Affordable Housing SDC Exemption Program requires homes to be owner-occupied and not used as rental properties. Currently, homebuyers must income-qualify by earning no more than 100% of area median family income (MFI) for a household of four. The sale price cap for 2026 is $455,000.On July 16, 2025, Council passed ordinance 192082, which temporarily exempts system development charges for new housing in Portland with permit issue dates between August 15, 2025, and September 30, 2028, with the intention of creating 5,000 new housing units. The Temporary SDC Exemption Program applies to all newly built residential housing units, not just affordable housing units. As such, homebuyers purchasing units that received the Temporary SDC Exemption do not need to income-qualify.Temporarily removing the income requirement for the Affordable Housing SDC Exemption Program helps homebuilders who opted to participate in the Affordable Housing SDC Exemption Program and had their building permit issued prior to the effective date of the Temporary SDC Exemption Program to sell units that remain unsold without needing to find an income-qualified homebuyer, similar to the Temporary SDC Exemption Program.
Official impact statementSee the official legal title
Amend Partial and Full Exemptions of System Development Charges for Affordable Housing Developments Code to temporarily remove income requirements for homeownership units (amend Code Section 30.01.095)
Do broad fee exemptions produce enough new housing to justify the revenue foregone for public infrastructure?
What this proposal would actually do.
Plain-language orientation first. Every substantive statement below links to its official basis.
The reviewed sources do not clearly identify every existing policy, service, contract, or obligation that would remain unchanged.
Official matter recordThis proposal concerns housing & homelessness and requires action through Portland’s public legislative process.
Official matter classification and recordHomebuilders have requested a change to the Affordable Housing SDC Exemption Program in order to reduce any unfair competition between homes approved for the program and those being sold without the regulatory requirements.
Official community impact statementWhat the record establishes and what it does not.
Votes show choices. They do not, by themselves, prove why a member made that choice.
Passed · 8–3
Read the exact motion or vote question
Final action on 2026-205: Amend Partial and Full Exemptions of System Development Charges for Affordable Housing Developments Code to temporarily remove income requirements for homeownership units (amend Code Section 30.01.095)
We will not turn the roll call into invented arguments.
The vote above establishes who supported or opposed that exact motion. A source-validated account of the competing reasons will appear only after human review of the meeting transcript and documents.
This legislation does not increase the amount of foregone revenue in the form of system development charge exemptions because the limited number of applications this applies to have already been approved. This will likely increase the number of homes sold to eligible homebuyers rather than exemptions needing to be paid back due to homebuyers not qualifying under the income requirements of the program.
Official financial impact statement- The source-linked record has not yet received a human review of competing arguments. A yes or no vote alone does not establish a Councilor’s rationale.
- What implementation evidence will show whether the intended result occurred?
Official testimony on this decision has closed. Residents can still contact their district Councilors about implementation and follow-up.
Official Council agendaInspect the complete research record.
Official text, source files, exact motions, roll calls, provenance, and the technical completeness check remain available without crowding the explanation above.
Official documents7 sources
The operative official record after Council action.
Open at Portland.govShow 1 more documents
Read the full official text
The City of Portland ordains.Section 1. The Council finds:On behalf of the City of Portland, the Portland Housing Bureau (PHB) administers the Affordable Housing System Development Charge Exemption Program (the AH SDC Exemption Program) authorized under PCC Section 30.01.095.The AH SDC Exemption Program removes fees that would otherwise be payable by homebuilders to the Bureaus of Environmental Services, Parks and Recreation, Transportation, and Water at building permit issuance.The AH SDC Exemption Program requires homebuilders to sell homes below the sale price cap approved annually by City Council to homebuyers earning up to 100% of median family income (MFI) for a family of four and is adjusted upwards for households larger than four.On July 16, 2025, the City passed Ordinance 192082, which added a temporary exemption of system development charges for permits with newly created residential units issued August 15, 2025, through September 30, 2028 (the Temporary SDC Exemption Program). The City desires to adjust the AH SDC Exemption Program for any unit that applied for the AH SDC Exemption Program that had its building permit issued prior to January 1, 2026, and have not sold as of the effective date of this ordinance to allow homebuilders to sell homes without an income restriction for the homebuyers until September 30, 2028.The City desires to not apply the removal of the income restriction to units that choose to participate in the Homeownership Opportunity Limited Tax Exemption (HOLTE) Program (PCC Chapter 3.102), Local Transportation Infrastructure Charge (LTIC) Exemption Program (PCC Section 17.88.090), or exemption of tree preservation mitigation payments for affordable housing developments (PCC Subsection 11.50.040.C.1.d).NOW, THEREFORE, the Council directs:Amend City Code Section 30.01.095 as shown in Exhibit A.
Meetings, motions, amendments, and votes4 meetings · 4 votes
Recorded amendments
Motion to amend the ordinance as shown in Pirtle-Guiney-Koyama Lane 1.: Moved by Pirtle-Guiney and seconded by Koyama Lane. (Aye (2): Koyama Lane, Pirtle-Guiney; Nay (10): Morillo, Novick, Clark, Green, Zimmerman, Avalos, Smith, Kanal, Ryan, Dunphy). Motion failed to pass.
Motion to amend the ordinance as shown in Dunphy 1: Moved by Dunphy and seconded by Novick. (Aye (4): Koyama Lane, Novick, Clark, Dunphy; Nay (8): Morillo, Green, Zimmerman, Avalos, Smith, Kanal, Pirtle-Guiney, Ryan). Motion failed to pass. Passed to second reading July 29, 2026 at 9:30 am
Read all 3 exact motions
Motion to amend the ordinance as shown in Pirtle-Guiney-Koyama Lane 1.: Moved by Pirtle-Guiney and seconded by Koyama Lane. (Aye (2): Koyama Lane, Pirtle-Guiney; Nay (10): Morillo, Novick, Clark, Green, Zimmerman, Avalos, Smith, Kanal, Ryan, Dunphy). Motion failed to pass.
Motion to amend the ordinance as shown in Dunphy 1: Moved by Dunphy and seconded by Novick. (Aye (4): Koyama Lane, Novick, Clark, Dunphy; Nay (8): Morillo, Green, Zimmerman, Avalos, Smith, Kanal, Pirtle-Guiney, Ryan). Motion failed to pass. Passed to second reading July 29, 2026 at 9:30 am
Motion to refer the Ordinance, Document Number 2026-205, to City Council with the recommendation it be passed: Moved by Novick and seconded by Green. (Aye (3): Novick, Green, Avalos; Nay (2): Pirtle-Guiney, Koyama Lane)
Final Council action · Jul 29, 20268 yes · 3 no · 1 absent
Final action on 2026-205: Amend Partial and Full Exemptions of System Development Charges for Affordable Housing Developments Code to temporarily remove income requirements for homeownership units (amend Code Section 30.01.095)
Meeting-level motion or recommendation · Jul 23, 20262 yes · 10 no
Motion to amend the ordinance as shown in Pirtle-Guiney-Koyama Lane 1.: Moved by Pirtle-Guiney and seconded by Koyama Lane. (Aye (2): Koyama Lane, Pirtle-Guiney; Nay (10): Morillo, Novick, Clark, Green, Zimmerman, Avalos, Smith, Kanal, Ryan, Dunphy). Motion failed to pass.
Meeting-level motion or recommendation · Jul 23, 20264 yes · 8 no
Motion to amend the ordinance as shown in Dunphy 1: Moved by Dunphy and seconded by Novick. (Aye (4): Koyama Lane, Novick, Clark, Dunphy; Nay (8): Morillo, Green, Zimmerman, Avalos, Smith, Kanal, Pirtle-Guiney, Ryan). Motion failed to pass. Passed to second reading July 29, 2026 at 9:30 am
Meeting-level motion or recommendation · Jun 16, 20263 yes · 2 no
Motion to refer the Ordinance, Document Number 2026-205, to City Council with the recommendation it be passed: Moved by Novick and seconded by Green. (Aye (3): Novick, Green, Avalos; Nay (2): Pirtle-Guiney, Koyama Lane)
Data quality, timeline, and provenanceRules v2
Unreviewed keyword matches and machine-extracted fragments are not presented as authoritative findings. Only 0 human-reviewed findings are available for this matter.
Technical information-completeness check · Ready With Caveats
This checks whether decision-relevant categories appear in the published packet. It does not recommend approval or opposition.
The official title and operative text identify the requested action.
Official text was found. This check does not certify that every referenced exhibit is complete.
The official impact statement includes financial information.
The impact statement identifies funding information without an explicit unresolved-source qualifier.
6 linked supporting documents found; presence alone does not verify their internal completeness.
The text references exhibits. This guide has not yet automatically verified that each referenced exhibit is present, populated, and internally consistent.
The reviewed action is not expressly identified as a non-binding agreement.
A direction, reporting requirement, or deadline appears in the official text.
Stability requires at least two observed snapshots; the system will update this after another ingestion.
- First discovered
- Aug 13, 2026, 1:03 PM PDT
- Last checked
- Sep 13, 2026, 2:22 AM PDT
- Evidence hash
- bdd8ea20ba459e00
- Guide status
- Deterministic baseline
- SOURCE UPDATED
Passed
- DOCUMENT PUBLISHED
Observed in the official source.
- Council Action
Passed
- Council Action
Passed to second reading
- Council Action
Continued
- Council Action
Referred to City Council