County profile

Partially sourced

Benton County

Official Oregon county-rule source anchors added for Benton County; office confirmation is still needed before verified status.

County-level researchedParcel review requiredLand availability signal

Profile boundary

County Profiles Do Not Approve Parcels

This profile summarizes county-level signals. Before relying on a parcel, verify current rules with planning, zoning, building, environmental health, water, road, fire, title, and local professionals.

Read disclaimer

Verification queue

What Still Needs Confirmation

This profile has official source coverage for county-level discovery, but it still needs stronger current county-office confirmation before being promoted to verified. Treat it as a shortlist candidate, then confirm the exact parcel and intended use with local offices.

Office path

Current county contact

Confirm who handles planning, subdivision, rural addressing, floodplain, permitting, and enforcement for the parcel.

Parcel path

Exact intended use

Ask about the specific structure, RV or camper occupancy plan, water source, septic path, access road, and development sequence.

At a glance

Fast Read

County-level discovery summary for alternative housing research. Use this as a shortlist signal, then verify the specific parcel and code path.

Verify first
Overall

Mixed discovery fit

Benton County has a Freedom Score of 56. Its strongest profile signals are ADUs (4/5) and Tiny homes (3/5).

Best use case

Oregon county-rule due diligence

Best initial fit: Oregon county-rule due diligence, Willamette Valley rural land screening. Check county planning materials before making parcel assumptions.

Land signal

46/100 affordability score

$17,751 per acre snapshot with 45 active land listings and a 4/5 availability signal.

Caution

Mixed county-level signal

Verify jurisdiction, zoning district, farm or forest resource zoning, sanitation, water rights, legal access, road maintenance, wildfire, floodplain, slope, covenants, and protected resource areas

Trust strip

Source Snapshot

Fast source context for this county profile. Use the full source trail below for links, citations, and parcel-level verification reminders.

Data status
Land snapshotsourced
Jun 5, 2026

LandSearch

Broadbandsourced
2024

Census Reporter ACS 2024 5-year table B28002

Public landsourced
2026

BLM Oregon/Washington Ownership GIS layer

Solar periodsourced
2001-2020

NASA POWER 2001-2020 solar irradiance climatology

County citationssourced
15

Planning, zoning, building, and profile links

Best Fit

Oregon county-rule due diligenceWillamette Valley rural land screening

Pros

  • Official county land-use planning, development-code, and building pages provide strong source anchors.
  • Oregon statewide land-use, building-department, and onsite wastewater references are included

Cons

  • This is a source-anchor pass, not a legal interpretation
  • city-edge, farm, forest, water, septic, and floodplain conditions remain parcel-specific

Alternative Housing Ratings

derived

Verified county-level discovery scores

Tiny Homes
3/5
RV Living
3/5
Off Grid
3/5
Container Homes
3/5
ADUs
4/5

Alternative Housing Notes

Tiny Homes

Benton County now has official Community Development, land-use planning, development-code, and building anchors. Tiny home feasibility should be checked through dwelling classification, zoning district, Oregon building-code path, sanitation, access, and private covenants before purchase.

RV Living

Long-term RV or camper occupancy in Benton County should be confirmed directly with county planning or code staff, including camping-duration limits, temporary-use permits, sanitation, water, utility service, driveway access, and city-edge jurisdiction.

Off Grid

Off-grid projects in Benton County should verify land-use approval, building permits, onsite wastewater rules, water feasibility, access, road maintenance, wildfire, floodplain, slope, and emergency-response constraints.

Container Homes

Container-home projects in Benton County should be treated as engineered dwellings or structures unless county staff confirms another path.

ADUs

ADU feasibility in Benton County depends on zoning, municipality involvement, primary-dwelling status, utilities, septic or sewer capacity, and private restrictions.

Land Affordability

sourced

Sourced market snapshot

Price/Acre Estimate
$17,751
Active Land Listings
45
Availability Score
4/5
Affordability Score
46/100

Source: LandSearch snapshot from June 5, 2026. LandSearch Oregon county price table average price per acre and active listing count; stored in medianAcrePrice field for compatibility but not a true median acre price.

How to read source layers

Population Context

sourced

Sourced Census estimate

Population
98,899
Population Density
146.3 / sq mi

Population uses 2024 U.S. Census county estimates. Density is computed from county land area in the imported GeoJSON boundary data.

Water and Septic

draft

Parcel-level verification needed

Water

Water availability in Benton County is parcel-specific and should be checked through water rights, well feasibility, groundwater conditions, and subdivision requirements.

Septic

Septic feasibility in Benton County requires parcel-level review under Oregon DEQ rules or local administration, including soils, setbacks, groundwater, slope, and water-source separation.

Climate, Utilities, and Access

derived

Mixed sourced and derived layers

Snowfall
6.7"
Precipitation
63.5"
Growing Season
311 days
Broadband
9/10
Solar
3/10
Public Land
115,114
Recreation Access
4/5
Federal Public Land
81,775
State Public Land
26,827
Local Public Land
6,512

Public land source: BLM Oregon/Washington Ownership GIS layer snapshot from 2026. County-clipped GIS estimate using Oregon/Washington Ownership status categories. Includes federal, state, and local public-surface codes; excludes private, tribal, unknown, and water categories. Sample matched labels: Adair Village, City of; Albany, City of; Alsea River; Alsea Trout Hatchery; Avery City Park; BLM; Benton County; Benton County School Dist 1; Bowers Rock State Park; Camp Adiar; Corvallis School District 509J; Corvallis, City of; EE Wilson Game Management Area; FDF (Board of Forestry); FRA(Common School Lands); Greater Albany Public School; McDonald State Forest; Monroe, City of; NORTHWEST OREGON DISTRICT; NW OREGON DISTRICT; ODFW; OSU; Oregon Dept of Forestry; Oregon Dept of Transportation; Oregon State; Oregon State Board Higher Ed; Oregon State Game Commission; Oregon State Parks; Oregon State University; Paul Dunn State Forest; Philomath, City of; School District 25J; Siuslaw National Forest; State of Oregon; State of Oregon - State Lands; State of Oregon Estate Admin; State of Oregon Highway Comm; State of Oregon Parks Rec; U.S. Forest Service; US National Guard; USA; USFS; WOTFA RECLASSIFICATION; William L Finley NWR.

Broadband Subscription
92.9%
Cable/Fiber/DSL
79.5%
Satellite
6.2%
No Internet
3%

Broadband source: Census Reporter ACS 2024 5-year table B28002 snapshot from 2024. Broadband score is a county-level ACS household broadband subscription proxy, not parcel-level service availability. Score is based on the percentage of households with broadband of any type.

Annual Solar Resource
3.88 kWh/m²/day
Winter Solar
1.54 kWh/m²/day
Summer Solar
6.51 kWh/m²/day

Solar source: NASA POWER 2001-2020 solar irradiance climatology for 2001-2020. County-centroid solar proxy using NASA POWER ALLSKY_SFC_SW_DWN annual all-sky surface shortwave downward irradiance. This is a county-level solar resource estimate, not a parcel-level PV design study.

Source glossary and data layer notes

Red Flags

  • Verify jurisdiction, zoning district, farm or forest resource zoning, sanitation, water rights, legal access, road maintenance, wildfire, floodplain, slope, covenants, and protected resource areas

Source Trail

County office links, sourced data layers, and profile citations used to build this county-level research summary.

Source glossary

County Profile Citations

Research Status

draft

County-level profile reviewed; parcel-level confirmation still required

This profile is currently marked partially sourced. It is ready for county comparison and early research, but legal claims and parcel-specific decisions should still be verified against county code, planning offices, and local experts.

County FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Benton County a good county for alternative living?

Benton County has a Freedom Score of 56, which makes it useful for county-level discovery. Treat that score as a shortlist signal, then verify zoning, building, water, septic, access, and covenant rules for the specific parcel.

Can you live in a tiny home in Benton County?

Benton County has a tiny home score of 3/5. That score does not approve a tiny home by itself; it means the county is worth researching through planning, zoning, building code, sanitation, and parcel-specific rules.

Can you live in an RV on land in Benton County?

Benton County has an RV living score of 3/5. RV rules often depend on duration, construction status, sanitation, water, zoning district, and whether the land is inside a subdivision or municipality.

Is Benton County good for off-grid living?

Benton County has an off-grid score of 3/5. Off-grid feasibility still depends on legal access, septic or OWTS approval, water options, fire risk, winter access, and whether a lawful dwelling can be permitted.

How affordable is land in Benton County?

Benton County has a land affordability score of 46/100 based on the current county-level dataset. Use this for comparison only, because actual parcel prices can vary by road access, utilities, terrain, water, covenants, and listing quality.

Who is Benton County best suited for?

Based on the current profile, Benton County is best suited for Oregon county-rule due diligence, Willamette Valley rural land screening. The best fit can change once you narrow from county-level research to a specific property.

What should I verify before buying land in Benton County?

Before buying, confirm zoning, building permits, legal access, road maintenance, water rights or well eligibility, septic feasibility, wildfire requirements, floodplain issues, mineral rights, and any HOA, POA, subdivision, or covenant restrictions.

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