PORTLAND, Ore. — Earlier this month, the Portland City Council voted unanimously to change city code to expedite the process for graffiti cleanup.
The amendment was introduced by City Commissioner Carmen Rubio, who oversees the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, which is in charge of the graffiti program.
Here's how it will work: Property owners all across Portland now have 10 days to remove graffiti. If that doesn't happen, the city can issue an abatement notice, which gives the property owner another ten days to remove it.
If it still doesn't happen, the city can get an administrative warrant and then hire a contractor to paint over the graffiti. The city will then place a lien on the property to recoup the costs of that removal, plus an administrative fee.
Instead of getting a judge involved and winding through that system, the new code allows for the most egregious violations to be handled through the city's Code Hearings Office, where an expedited decision can be made, which can include things like fines.
The code change only applies to graffiti on private property and doesn't impact graffiti along the interstates or signage above the interstates, which have also been common sources of complaint about graffiti in the Portland area.
"This is within the jurisdiction we have... to cut that time down," said Rubio. "This is just one lever that we're using (to) move things along even faster."
According to the city, more than 500,000 square feet of graffiti has been removed since the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability took over the program in October 2022.
PPB continues to investigate graffiti vandalism cases in Portland. Anyone with information on vandals should email tips to investigators at crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov, ATTN: Central NRT.