AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE MALHEUR COUNTY BUILDING CODE TITLE 5, CHAPTER 3, SECTION 15 OF THE MALHEUR COUNTY CODE (MCC); AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY

The Malheur County Court will hold a hearing on May 6, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. in room 106 of the Malheur County Courthouse, 251 B Street West, Vale to hear public comments on the above-entitled ordinance (Ordinance No. 238).    Interested persons may also participate in the hearing electronically via GoToMeeting; login by computer/tablet/smartphone:  https://meet.goto.com/MCPZ/malheur-county-court Access Code:  299-510-653.  The County desires to amend/delete MCC 5-3-15 to remove the Local Appeal Board appeal procedure.  Oral comments may be given during the public hearing.  Written comments will be received up to and including the date and time of the hearing and may be emailed to kim.ross@malheurco.org.  A copy of the ordinance may be obtained by accessing www.malheurco.org. Questions should be directed to the Building Department at 541-372-5460 or  BuildingDepartment@bldgmalheurco.org

Click Here for Ordiance 238

Click Here for a Copy of the Notice

The meeting is a public meeting and deliberations of the Budget Committee will take place.  Any person may participate in the meeting and discuss the proposed budget with the Budget Committee.

To join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone:
https://meet.goto.com/MCPZ/malheur-county-court

You can also dial in using your phone:
United States: +1 (571) 317-3129

Access Code: 299-510-653

The agenda and budget documents will be available on our website at www.malheurco.org  on April 21, 2026.

Click Here for Digital Copy of this Notice

Click Here for PRAS – Press Release

Click Here for PRAS – FAQ

Click Here to Register

Click Here for a copy of this notice.

Click Here for Grant Procurement Application

The Malheur County drive-up drop box is available for:

Tax Payments

Juvenile Department

Planning Department

Environmental Health

Assessor Office

Clerk/Recording Office

DO NOT PLACE PAYMENTS TO ANY OTHER DEPARTMENT IN THIS BOX

DO NOT PLACE VOTING BALLOTS IN THIS BOX (THE OFFICIAL BALLOT BOX HAS BEEN MOVED AND IS TO THE IMMEDIATE RIGHT OF THE PAYMENT DROP BOX)

If you are placing payment or paperwork in the drop box, please indicate with an account number or the department it is pertaining to.

The drop box is located behind the Courthouse on the corner of C Street and Bryant Street, entrance is off of C street.

It is the mission of Malheur County to administrate an economically sound local government, while maintaining the highest standards of leadership and service.

Malheur County is located in beautiful Eastern Oregon. It is a place filled with fascinating history, diverse landscape and friendly people. Malheur County is one of Oregon’s best-kept secrets! Located in Oregon’s southeast corner, the county is the state’s second largest. It is 94 percent rangeland, two-thirds of which is controlled by the Federal Bureau of Land Management. Today, irrigated fields in the county’s northeastern corner, known as Western Treasure Valley, are the center of intensive and diversified farming.

One of Malheur County’s greatest resources is its people — people that still believe in hard work and traditional values. Malheur County has beautiful, enchanting scenery and a wide variety of excellent recreational opportunities.

The name Malheur is French for “misfortune.” Legend has it some French trappers and traders were in the area searching for furs. Their trip was unsuccessful and they were attacked by Indians, a portion of the party was killed and others wounded. Because of the misfortunes of their trip, the French named the river Malheur, or loosely translated, “unhappy river.”

The county was created in 1887, and Henry C. Murray was appointed the first sheriff. Vale was granted temporary status as county seat, and battled with Ontario and Jordan Valley for the permanent title. The law called for a majority vote, and a county-wide election was held in 1888. Vale won the election, with Jordan Valley second and Ontario third, but because Vale did not receive the required majority, a second election between the top two contenders was held, with Vale receiving 459 votes and Jordan Valley 138.

The first courthouse was built in 1887, for $1,400. Rhinehart donated the site for a new courthouse, and a committee raised and donated $10,000 for the two-story stone building completed in 1902.

In addition to Ontario, Jordan Valley, and Vale, there are several other communities of size in Malheur County: Nyssa and Adrian are incorporated cities, while Juntura, Ironside, Jamieson, Westfall, Harper, Arock, Annex and Brogan are unincorporated communities.