Battery storage rules: Hillsboro, OR
Hillsboro (Washington County) paused new data center and battery storage applications for 120 days on July 27, 2026 while it writes land-use rules for both, in two phases (city page).
Hillsboro moratorium on new battery storage applications
A 120-day land-use moratorium on new data center and battery storage applications, adopted July 27, 2026, so running to November 24, 2026; the council may extend it by six months. Meanwhile the council took up Ordinance No. 6521, the first round of permanent rules: energy storage as a primary use only in industrial zones, up to 12 gross acres per site (readings October 6 and October 20, 2026). Ask the city whether it has been adopted and when it takes effect. City of Hillsboro, Data & Energy Storage in Hillsboro; City Council packets, October 6 and 20, 2026 (Ordinance No. 6521, CDCA-004-26)
Fire and building codes in force
- State: 2025 Oregon Fire Code (OFC), which is the 2024 IFC as amended by the State Fire Marshal, effective October 1, 2025 (OAR 837-040-0010; OSFM 6-2025). For new-construction plan review the 2022 OFC stayed available until March 31, 2026, as directed by the local building official (OSFM 6-2025).
- IFC Section 1207: the State Fire Marshal's 2025 OFC executive summary lists no Oregon amendment to Section 1207; its only Chapter 12 amendment is Section 1205.5 (solar farm maintenance) (2025 OFC Executive Summary, Rev. 6/12/25, Part II item 19). The State Fire Marshal's 2025 OFC errata page likewise lists only a Section 1205.5.3 correction under Chapter 12 (OSFM errata page).
- NFPA 855: not named in the adopting order, which adopts only the IFC (OSFM 6-2025). Ask your fire code official which NFPA 855 edition they apply through the IFC's references.
- Homes: the 2023 Oregon Residential Specialty Code (ORSC) carries the IRC energy storage rules as Section R329: UL 9540 listing; location limits (none in sleeping rooms); 20 kWh per unit and 40 kWh in total in utility closets, basements and storage spaces, 80 kWh in garages, accessory structures, on exterior walls or outdoors; 3 ft between units. Units listed to UL 9540 and marked "For use in residential dwelling units" (installed per the manufacturer and the Electrical Code) and units under 1 kWh are exempt from the section, and larger systems go to the Building Code (BCD summary of amendments, p. 84). The 2026 ORSC, based on the 2024 IRC, took effect October 1, 2026 and becomes mandatory April 1, 2027 (BCD); until then ask your building department which edition, and which energy storage section, applies to your permit.
- Electrical: 2026 Oregon Electrical Specialty Code, based on the 2026 NEC, effective October 1, 2026 (BCD). Building: 2025 Oregon Structural Specialty Code, effective October 1, 2025, mandatory April 1, 2026 (BCD).
- Local: fire agencies adopt the OFC with local amendments. Ask your fire agency whether its local amendments change Chapter 12.
How a project is permitted
Phase I (fall 2026): definitions, and where the uses are allowed, prohibited or limited (Ordinance No. 6521; council readings October 6 and October 20, 2026). Phase II (November 2026 to March 2027): development and design standards, which could include building height and buffers (city page). Ask the city which rules are now in effect.
Sources
- City of Hillsboro — Data & Energy Storage in Hillsboro City of Hillsboro
- OPB — Hillsboro approves data center moratorium (2026-07-28) OPB
- Hillsboro News-Times — What restrictions could the council place on data centers in October (2026-09-23) Hillsboro News-Times
- Hillsboro News-Times — City council adopts first round of new data center restrictions (2026-10-21) Hillsboro News-Times
Check a specific system
For a proposal or a system you're evaluating, answer a few questions in BESScheck: you get the rules that apply here, a checklist of what to ask, and the sources behind each line.