North Powder Reminds Residents to Not Dump Construction Waste on the City Brush Pile
By Garrett Christensen on Thursday, August 31st, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
NORTH POWDER – (Information from the North Powder Newsletter) Of all the community services and communal spaces maintained by various city governments in Eastern Oregon, a brush pile does not seem particularly exciting or noteworthy. Nonetheless, the City of North Powder does maintain an official brush pile for residents to dump yard debris and small forestry trimmings. Yet, even something as straight forward as a pile of dead grass and branches is, apparently, grounds for misuse.
The City of North Powder would like to remind residents that the city brush pile is for yard debris only, including, “small tree branches, shrubs and sticks, grass clippings, leaves and garden waste.” The pile is NOT for heavier wood and construction materials such as, “wood pallets, boards, fencing material, and wood furniture,” among others. The city warns that continued misuse of the pile may result in it being reverted to by appointment use only.
On the subject of misuse, North Powder would also like to remind residents of other city ordinances. Firstly, garbage “must be placed in water-tight, rodent and fly-proof containers with a tight-fitting lid.” Garbage cannot be left in the open in any capacity, be it bags or open containers. Public right of ways also cannot be used as a form of storage for things such as broken-down vehicles, trailers, RVs, burn barrels or other debris and junk.
Moving away from garbage, new construction also has its own set of ordinances. As written directly by North Powder:
“New buildings and fences must meet certain set-backs. Buildings over 200 square feet are required to have a building permit. New fences cannot be over 4’ high on the front side of a house and they must be see through. Fences along the side, between properties, or in back of a house, against an alley, can be privacy type up to 6 feet tall without a building permit, but they must not reach past the front corner of a house (20’ from the property line).”
