New Oregon Laws Taking Effect January 1, 2026: What Residents, Workers, and Businesses Need to Know
SALEM, OR (STL.News) As the calendar turns to 2026, a wide range of new laws approved by Oregon lawmakers will officially take effect on January 1, reshaping everything from workplace rules and tenant protections to health care access, consumer rights, and public safety standards. While many of these changes were debated and passed months earlier, the start of the new year is when they begin to have real-world consequences for individuals, families, employers, landlords, and service providers across the state.
The new laws reflect Oregon’s continued focus on transparency, affordability, worker protections, and adapting state statutes to evolving technology and social conditions. Below is a comprehensive look at the most impactful Oregon laws set to take effect on January 1, 2026, and what they mean in practice.
Expanded Workplace Protections and Employer Responsibilities in Oregon
One of the most significant areas of legal change in 2026 involves employment standards and employer accountability. New requirements are designed to give workers clearer information about their pay while ensuring equitable treatment across public sector jobs.
Clearer Pay and Payroll Transparency
Beginning January 1, 2026, employers must provide more detailed payroll disclosures to employees. Workers must receive written explanations that clearly outline pay rates, hours worked, overtime calculations, deductions, and the purpose of each deduction. For new hires, this information must be provided at the start of employment, and existing employees must receive updated disclosures when pay structures or deductions change.
Supporters say the new requirements are intended to reduce wage disputes, prevent confusion about take-home pay, and give workers the tools to identify potential payroll errors more quickly.
Equal Pay Differentials for Language Skills
Public employers that offer pay incentives for bilingual skills must now include American Sign Language on equal footing with spoken languages. This change recognizes ASL as a critical communication skill and ensures that employees who rely on it to serve the public are fairly compensated for their expertise.
Expanded Veteran Hiring Preferences
Oregon has also broadened eligibility for veteran hiring preferences in public employment. Members of the Oregon National Guard now qualify for the same hiring and promotion considerations traditionally extended to veterans. The change is intended to acknowledge the service of Guard members who balance civilian careers with ongoing military commitments.
Housing and Tenant Rights See New Safeguards in Oregon
Housing affordability and tenant protections remain a major policy focus, and several new laws taking effect in 2026 aim to clarify landlord obligations and protect renters from unfair practices.
Access Options Beyond Smartphone Apps
Landlords who use electronic locks or digital access systems will now be required to provide tenants with access options that do not depend solely on smartphone apps. Acceptable alternatives include physical keys, access codes, or key fobs. Lawmakers cited concerns about accessibility, privacy, and technology failures, particularly for elderly tenants or those without reliable smartphone access.
Protection for Rental Deposits
New rules also address rental deposits collected before a lease is finalized. If a rental unit is found to be unsafe or uninhabitable before move-in, prospective tenants are entitled to a return of their deposit. This change closes a loophole that previously left some renters financially exposed when promised housing conditions were not met.
Health Care Access and Medical Cost Relief in Oregon
Health care remains a top concern for households across Oregon, and several 2026 laws focus on reducing financial stress while expanding coverage requirements.
Medical Debt Removed From Credit Reports
Starting in 2026, medical debt may no longer be reported to consumer credit reporting agencies in Oregon. The law applies to both health care providers and debt collectors, effectively preventing medical bills from damaging a person’s credit score.
Advocates argue that medical debt often results from unexpected emergencies rather than irresponsible financial behavior, and that removing it from credit reports helps families recover without long-term financial harm.
Menopause and Women’s Health Coverage
State-regulated health insurance plans must now cover treatment related to perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause. Covered services include hormone therapy, counseling, and preventive care aimed at reducing long-term health risks such as osteoporosis.
The change reflects growing recognition of menopause-related health care as a medical necessity rather than an optional service.
Expanded Breast Reconstruction Coverage
Health plans are also required to provide coverage for breast reconstruction procedures that use a patient’s own tissue, ensuring parity with implant-based reconstruction. This update applies to individuals recovering from mastectomies and other qualifying medical procedures.
Consumer Protection and Personal Safety Updates for Oregon
Several new Oregon laws taking effect in 2026 address emerging technology risks and strengthen protections against abuse and harassment.
Stronger Laws Against Intimate Image Abuse
Oregon has expanded its laws governing the non-consensual sharing of intimate images to include AI-generated and digitally altered content. The update reflects growing concern about the potential for deepfake technology to cause harassment, coercion, or reputational harm.
Repeat violations carry more severe criminal penalties under the new framework, signaling a tougher stance on technology-enabled abuse.
Minimum Marriage Age Raised to 18
Beginning in 2026, the legal minimum age for marriage in Oregon is 18, with no exceptions. Previously, only in limited circumstances could minors marry with parental or judicial approval. The new law aligns marriage statutes with broader child protection standards.
Enhanced Penalties for Workplace Violence
Repeat offenders convicted of workplace violence now face harsher penalties under updated criminal statutes. The change aims to protect workers in high-risk environments, including retail, health care, and public service roles, where assaults have become more common in recent years.
Construction, Retirement, and Professional Services
Beyond high-profile consumer and health care changes, several technical but impactful laws will also take effect in 2026.
Accountability for Unpaid Construction Wages
Property owners and primary contractors can now be held jointly responsible for unpaid wages on construction projects. This change is intended to discourage wage theft and ensure workers are paid even when subcontractors fail to meet their obligations.
Updates to Public Employee Retirement Rules
Modifications to the state’s public employee retirement system will take effect at the start of 2026, adjusting benefit calculations and administrative provisions. While most changes are technical, they affect long-term retirement planning for thousands of public workers.
Telemedicine Across State Lines
Health care providers may continue treating established Oregon patients through telemedicine even when those patients are temporarily outside the state. The update reflects the lasting impact of remote care models and provides continuity for patients who travel or live part-time elsewhere.
What It All Means for 2026
Taken together, the Oregon laws taking effect January 1, 2026, represent a continued push toward transparency, fairness, and modernization. Workers gain clearer insight into their pay, renters receive stronger protections, and patients see expanded access to essential health care services. At the same time, businesses and public agencies face new compliance responsibilities that will require updated policies and training.
For residents, the new year brings meaningful changes that could affect daily life in both big and small ways. For employers, landlords, and service providers, January 1 marks an important deadline to ensure systems and practices align with the updated legal landscape.
As 2026 begins, Oregon enters the year with a legal framework shaped by economic pressures, technological change, and ongoing debates about fairness and accountability—issues that continue to resonate far beyond the state’s borders.
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