Dave Hunnicutt
From Tragedy to Transformation: The Story Behind SB 1561
This afternoon, the Oregon Senate unanimously approved SB 1561 on a 28–0 vote. The goal is simple: when a home is destroyed by wildfire, earthquake, flood, or even a freak accident (like a neighbor’s tree falling on your roof), families shouldn’t have to battle a convoluted land‑use process just to rebuild. SB 1561 creates a fast, straightforward permitting path so people can put their homes—and their lives—back together.
This bill was born from tragedy. In 2023, we represented a Multnomah County family whose home burned in an electrical fire. Even worse, they lost their daughter and two grandchildren in the fire. This is every parent’s worst fear, and our clients struggled just to get out of bed each morning.
Amid unimaginable grief, our clients were told they couldn’t rebuild because they couldn’t locate the original 1977 building permit proving the home was “lawfully established.” Never mind that the county had taxed the house as a residence for over 40 years.
To be clear, this wasn’t a Multnomah County rule—it was a state law requirement that made no sense in this situation. But that didn’t lessen the shock for our clients. They were instantly re‑traumatized.
When they called OPOA and asked for our help, Sam and I knew we had to fix this. With help from lawmakers, county officials, and staff, we eventually secured their building permit—nearly a year later. But the underlying law remained, waiting to trap the next Oregon family.
That’s why we drafted SB 1561.
Senator Suzanne Weber—who represents our clients in the legislature —championed the bill from the start. And today, nearly three years after the tragedy, SB 1561 passed the Oregon Senate. Next stop: the House, and then the Governor’s desk.
It’s a no‑brainer bill that took a tremendous amount of work, and today’s vote is a major win for OPOA and for every Oregon homeowner facing an unforeseen disaster.
The opinions expressed in this post are those of the author and do not represent the opinions or positions of any party represented by the OPOA Legal Center on any particular matter.