Oregon Revised Statutes

Or. Rev. Stat. § 192.630 (2026)

Meetings of governing body to be open to public; location of meetings; accommodation for person with disability; interpreters

✓ current as of May 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section ORSoregonlegislature.gov JustiaChapter on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

      192.630 Meetings of governing body to be open to public; location of meetings; accommodation for person with disability; interpreters. (1) All meetings of the governing body of a public body shall be open to the public and all persons shall be permitted to attend any meeting except as otherwise provided by ORS 192.610 to 192.705.

      (2) A quorum of a governing body may not meet in private for the purpose of deciding on or deliberating toward a decision on any matter except as otherwise provided by ORS 192.610 to 192.705.

      (3) A governing body may not hold a meeting at any place where discrimination on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age or disability is practiced. However, the fact that organizations with restricted membership hold meetings at the place does not restrict its use by a public body if use of the place by a restricted membership organization is not the primary purpose of the place or its predominant use.

      (4)(a) Meetings of the governing body of a public body shall be held:

      (A) Within the geographic boundaries over which the public body has jurisdiction;

      (B) At the administrative headquarters of the public body;

      (C) At the nearest practical location; or

      (D) If the public body is a state, county, city or special district entity, within Indian country of a federally recognized Oregon Indian tribe that is within the geographic boundaries of this state. For purposes of this subparagraph, “Indian country” has the meaning given that term in 18 U.S.C. 1151.

      (b) Training sessions may be held outside the jurisdiction as long as no deliberations toward a decision are involved.

      (c) A joint meeting of two or more governing bodies or of one or more governing bodies and the elected officials of one or more federally recognized Oregon Indian tribes shall be held within the geographic boundaries over which one of the participating public bodies or one of the Oregon Indian tribes has jurisdiction or at the nearest practical location.

      (d) Meetings may be held in locations other than those described in this subsection in the event of an actual emergency necessitating immediate action.

      (5)(a) It is discrimination on the basis of disability for a governing body of a public body to meet in a place inaccessible to persons with disabilities, or, upon request of a person who is deaf or hard of hearing, to fail to make a good faith effort to have an interpreter for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing provided at a regularly scheduled meeting. The sole remedy for discrimination on the basis of disability shall be as provided in ORS 192.680.

      (b) The person requesting the interpreter shall give the governing body at least 48 hours’ notice of the request for an interpreter, shall provide the name of the requester, sign language preference and any other relevant information the governing body may request.

      (c) If a meeting is held upon less than 48 hours’ notice, reasonable effort shall be made to have an interpreter present, but the requirement for an interpreter does not apply to emergency meetings.

      (d) If certification of interpreters occurs under state or federal law, the Oregon Health Authority or other state or local agency shall try to refer only certified interpreters to governing bodies for purposes of this subsection.

      (e) As used in this subsection, “good faith effort” includes, but is not limited to, contacting the department or other state or local agency that maintains a list of qualified interpreters and arranging for the referral of one or more qualified interpreters to provide interpreter services. [1973 c.172 §3; 1979 c.644 §2; 1989 c.1019 §1; 1995 c.626 §1; 2003 c.14 §95; 2005 c.663 §12; 2007 c.70 §52; 2007 c.100 §21; 2009 c.595 §173; 2017 c.482 §1; 2019 c.286 §1; 2021 c.367 §12]

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 27 cases (5 in the last 5 years), 1977–2024 · leading case: Tri-Cnty. Metro. Transp. Dist. of Or. (Trimet) v. Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757, 412 P.3d 162 (Or. 2018).
Tri-Cnty. Metro. Transp. Dist. of Or. (Trimet) v. Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757, 412 P.3d 162 (Or. 2018). · cites it 67× “Accordingly, the Court of Appeals concluded that there may be circumstances under which subsection (2) of ORS 192.630 would apply to the bargaining sessions and that, on this record, TriMet was not entitled to summary judgment.”
Handy v. Lane Cnty., 362 P.3d 867 (Or. Ct. App. 2015). · cites it 59× “670 clarifies that the requirements of ORS 192.630 apply to meetings conducted “through the use of telephone or other electronic communication.”
Handy v. Lane Cnty., 385 P.3d 1016 (Or. 2016). · cites it 10× “” ORS 192.630(2). Plaintiff filed this action claiming, among other things, that a quorum of the Lane County commissioners had violated that provision by engaging in a series of private communications to decide whether to comply with a public records request.”
Tri-Cnty. Metro. Transp. Dist. of Oregon v. Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757, 368 P.3d 50 (Or. Ct. App. 2016). · cites it 10× “Both mechanisms are contained in ORS 192.630. First, ORS 192.630(1) requires that any “meeting” of a governing body of a public body be open to the public, unless the topic of the meeting is one that the legislature has said may be addressed in an “executive session” or the…”
Harris v. Nordquist, 771 P.2d 637 (Or. Ct. App. 1989). · cites it 6× “Plaintiffs allege, in their first and second claims, that private meetings of a quorum of the board were held, at which no minutes were taken, in violation of ORS 192.630(2) and ORS 192.650. 2 The issue crucial to both claims is whether *24 some of the board’s members’…”
Rivas v. Bd. of Parole & Post-Prison Supervision, 369 P.3d 1239 (Or. Ct. App. 2016). · cites it 14× “In particular, plaintiff contends that the “file-pass” procedure used by the board to decide whether to order a second psychological evaluation of an offender in connection with a parole decision is a “meeting” that violates ORS 192.630(1) and other procedural provisions of the…”
Spray v. Bd. of Med. Examiners, 624 P.2d 125 (Or. Ct. App. 1981). · cites it 2× “The petitioner first claims that it was error for the Board to deny his motion for a public hearing. We agree. Under the Public Meetings Law, all meetings of the governing body of a public body (the definiton of which includes the Board herein) shall be opened to the public…”
Walker v. Oregon Travel Info. Council, 484 P.3d 1035 (Or. 2021). “An attorney with the Department of Justice advised that the meeting would need to be noticed, pursuant to ORS 192.630(1), as a meeting of the agency’s governing body.”
Pre-Hosp. Med. Servs., Inc. v. Malheur Cnty., 896 P.2d 585 (Or. Ct. App. 1995). · cites it 7× “In the writ of review proceeding, plaintiff argued that “[defendants exceeded their jurisdiction by intentionally violating Oregon public meetings laws, specifically ORS 192.630(2),” a ground for allowing a writ of review.”
South Benton Educ. Ass'n v. Monroe Union High Sch. Dist. 1, 732 P.2d 58 (Or. Ct. App. 1987). · cites it 3× “District argues, however, that no offer made as a result of the executive session meetings could be binding on District without ratification at a public meeting, relying on ORS 192.630 and ORS 192.660(4). Association argues that ORS 243.”
Williams v. Tri-Cnty. Metro. Transp., 958 P.2d 202 (Or. Ct. App. 1998). “630 (state employees shall be hired without regard to disabilities); ORS 447.210 et seq. (policy of ensuring equal physical access to commercial facilities, public accommodations, private entities, churches, and private membership clubs for persons with disabilities); ORS 659.”
Oregon Ass'n of Classified Employees v. Salem-Keizer Sch. Dist. 24J, 767 P.2d 1365 (Or. Ct. App. 1989). · cites it 3× “District argues, however, that no offer made as a result of the executive session meetings could be binding on *33 District without ratification at a public meeting, relying on ORS 192.630 and ORS 192.660(4). Association argues that ORS 243.”
— Or. Rev. Stat. § 192.630(1) — 11 cases
Tri-Cnty. Metro. Transp. Dist. of Or. (Trimet) v. Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757, 412 P.3d 162 (Or. 2018). “Accordingly, the Court of Appeals concluded that there may be circumstances under which subsection (2) of ORS 192.630 would apply to the bargaining sessions and that, on this record, TriMet was not entitled to summary judgment.”
Handy v. Lane Cnty., 362 P.3d 867 (Or. Ct. App. 2015). “670 clarifies that the requirements of ORS 192.630 apply to meetings conducted “through the use of telephone or other electronic communication.”
Tri-Cnty. Metro. Transp. Dist. of Oregon v. Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757, 368 P.3d 50 (Or. Ct. App. 2016). “Both mechanisms are contained in ORS 192.630. First, ORS 192.630(1) requires that any “meeting” of a governing body of a public body be open to the public, unless the topic of the meeting is one that the legislature has said may be addressed in an “executive session” or the…”
Walker v. Oregon Travel Info. Council, 484 P.3d 1035 (Or. 2021). “An attorney with the Department of Justice advised that the meeting would need to be noticed, pursuant to ORS 192.630(1), as a meeting of the agency’s governing body.”
Rivas v. Bd. of Parole & Post-Prison Supervision, 369 P.3d 1239 (Or. Ct. App. 2016). “In particular, plaintiff contends that the “file-pass” procedure used by the board to decide whether to order a second psychological evaluation of an offender in connection with a parole decision is a “meeting” that violates ORS 192.630(1) and other procedural provisions of the…”
— Or. Rev. Stat. § 192.630(2) — 8 cases
Tri-Cnty. Metro. Transp. Dist. of Or. (Trimet) v. Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757, 412 P.3d 162 (Or. 2018). “Accordingly, the Court of Appeals concluded that there may be circumstances under which subsection (2) of ORS 192.630 would apply to the bargaining sessions and that, on this record, TriMet was not entitled to summary judgment.”
Handy v. Lane Cnty., 362 P.3d 867 (Or. Ct. App. 2015). “670 clarifies that the requirements of ORS 192.630 apply to meetings conducted “through the use of telephone or other electronic communication.”
Handy v. Lane Cnty., 385 P.3d 1016 (Or. 2016). “” ORS 192.630(2). Plaintiff filed this action claiming, among other things, that a quorum of the Lane County commissioners had violated that provision by engaging in a series of private communications to decide whether to comply with a public records request.”
Harris v. Nordquist, 771 P.2d 637 (Or. Ct. App. 1989). “Plaintiffs allege, in their first and second claims, that private meetings of a quorum of the board were held, at which no minutes were taken, in violation of ORS 192.630(2) and ORS 192.650. 2 The issue crucial to both claims is whether *24 some of the board’s members’…”
Tri-Cnty. Metro. Transp. Dist. of Oregon v. Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757, 368 P.3d 50 (Or. Ct. App. 2016). “Both mechanisms are contained in ORS 192.630. First, ORS 192.630(1) requires that any “meeting” of a governing body of a public body be open to the public, unless the topic of the meeting is one that the legislature has said may be addressed in an “executive session” or the…”
— Or. Rev. Stat. § 192.630(3) — 1 case
Rivas v. Bd. of Parole & Post-Prison Supervision, 369 P.3d 1239 (Or. Ct. App. 2016). “In particular, plaintiff contends that the “file-pass” procedure used by the board to decide whether to order a second psychological evaluation of an offender in connection with a parole decision is a “meeting” that violates ORS 192.630(1) and other procedural provisions of the…”
— Or. Rev. Stat. § 192.630(4) — 2 cases
Oregonian Publ'g Co. v. Oregon State Bd. of Parole, 769 P.2d 795 (Or. Ct. App. 1989).
Miller v. Heimuller (D. Or. 2024).
— Or. Rev. Stat. § 192.630(4)(a) — 1 case
Miller v. Heimuller (D. Or. 2024).
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.