Every one of Oregon's 36 counties has an elected sheriff, and that fact is the starting point for finding the right office. The Oregon Constitution makes the sheriff a county officer, and state law in ORS Chapter 206 describes the duties. Our directory lists 62 sheriff locations across the state, from the Multnomah County Sheriffs Office in Portland to the Wheeler County Sheriffs Office in Fossil. This page explains what these offices do, how city and country counties differ, and how to reach the right desk for your situation.

Who Runs Sheriff Services in Oregon: Elected Sheriffs and County Control

Oregon sheriffs are elected by county voters to four-year terms. The person in charge answers to local residents rather than to the governor or a state agency. That is why two Oregon offices can look quite different. Budgets, staffing and priorities are set at the county level, and the board of county commissioners usually controls the funding.

Two statewide bodies still matter. The Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, called DPSST and based in Salem, sets certification and training standards for deputies and corrections officers. The Oregon State Police is a separate agency. It patrols state highways, supports local investigations with forensic services, and maintains the state sex offender registry. A sheriff's office belongs to neither one, though all three cooperate on major cases.

State law gives sheriffs a core set of jobs. They keep the peace in unincorporated areas, run the county jail, serve civil court papers, and lead search and rescue in the county. Many also process concealed handgun license applications, operate marine patrols on rivers and reservoirs, and support emergency response during wildfires, floods and winter storms.

Some sheriffs also contract to provide patrol for small cities. A city name on a listing therefore does not always mean the town has its own police department.

Portland Metro Versus Rural Oregon: Why Sheriff Offices Differ

The three Portland-area counties carry the heaviest urban workloads. The Multnomah County Sheriffs Office, at 12240 Northeast Glisan Street in Portland, concentrates on jails, courthouse security, river patrol and service to areas outside city police boundaries. The city of Portland itself is policed by the Portland Police Bureau, not the sheriff. In Washington County, our listings include the Washington County Sheriffs Office - East Precinct on Southwest Murray Boulevard in Beaverton. In Clackamas County, the Clackamas County Sheriffs Office North Station sits at 12800 Southeast 82nd Avenue. These offices run on large budgets and divide patrol into precincts or districts.

East of the Cascades, distance changes everything. Harney County is the largest county in Oregon by area, and its Harney County Sheriffs Department operates from Burns. The Gilliam County Sheriffs Office in Condon and the Wheeler County Sheriffs Office in Fossil serve counties with small populations, so a few deputies may cover hundreds of square miles. Response times can be long, cell coverage has gaps, and counter staff may double as dispatchers. In an emergency, call 911 anyway. The dispatch center sends the nearest available unit, and that may be a neighboring agency or a state trooper.

The Willamette Valley sits between those extremes. The Marion County Sheriff's Office at 100 High Street Northeast in Salem serves the county that holds the state capital. Further south, the Linn County offices in Albany anchor the county with the most listings in our directory, six in all, including substations in Brownsville and Harrisburg. Benton County's office is in Corvallis, Polk County's is in Dallas, and Lane County's main office is on East 8th Avenue in Eugene. In Central Oregon, the Deschutes County Sheriffs Office in Bend serves a rapidly growing population.

County-seat towns elsewhere follow a similar pattern. The Baker County Sheriffs Office is at 3410 K Street in Baker, the Wallowa County Sheriffs Department is at 104 West Greenwood Street in Enterprise, and the Coos County Sheriffs Office is at 250 North Baxter Street in Coquille. These are county seats, so court business and sheriff business often fall in the same trip.

Reading Oregon Sheriff Listings: Main Offices, Substations and Jails

Not every listing is a headquarters. Many are substations that take reports and meet the public closer to home. In Clatsop County on the north coast, the Clatsop County Sheriffs Office - Columbia River Valley Substation is at 92435 Svensen Market Road, east of Astoria. In Curry County in the southwest, the South County Substation at 97900 Shopping Center Avenue in Brookings saves residents a trip to Gold Beach. Douglas County has a Drain Substation at 129 West C Avenue, and Lane County has one in Creswell at 13 South 1st Street.

Some listings combine the sheriff and the jail. The Grant County Sheriff / Grant County Jail is at 205 South Humbolt Street in Canyon City. The Linn County Sheriffs Office / Linn County Jail is at 1115 Southeast Jackson Street in Albany, and the Deschutes County Sheriffs Office / Deschutes County Jail is at 63333 U.s. 20 in Bend. Jail lobbies follow their own visiting and property rules, so call before you go. Also watch for mailing addresses. The Curry County Sheriff's Office listing in Gold Beach shows PO Box 681, which means a letter will arrive but a walk-in visit may not work.

Services Most Oregon Sheriff's Offices Provide

Exact menus differ by county, but these are the requests deputies and civil staff handle most often:

Practical Steps Before You Contact an Oregon Sheriff's Office

First, confirm who has jurisdiction. Inside city limits, the city police department usually responds, though some small towns contract with the sheriff. In unincorporated areas the sheriff responds. Your property tax statement or the county's online map can show which applies to your address.

Second, call ahead. Jails and dispatch run around the clock, but front counters often keep weekday business hours, and some rural offices close at midday. Ask what to bring. For most counter services that means a government photo ID, any case number, and court papers or payment if you are handling a civil matter. Concealed handgun applicants should expect to prove residence.

Third, use the right line. Dial 911 for emergencies. For everything else, use the office's published non-emergency number, such as 541-967-3950 for the Linn County Sheriffs Office or 503-588-5094 for the Marion County Sheriff's Office. For the Columbia County Sheriff's Office at 901 Port Avenue in St. Helens, call 503-366-4611. Then browse our county pages to find the listing nearest you.

Sheriff offices in Oregon are independently elected county agencies responsible for law enforcement, jail operations, and civil process service. Each county in Oregon elects its own sheriff, who serves as the chief law enforcement officer for that county's unincorporated areas.

Sheriff locations are available in 54 cities across Oregon. They are spread across 36 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration of sheriff office listings include Portland, Astoria, Gold Beach, reflecting the population centers where multiple sub-offices or specialty divisions may be located.

Oregon residents should note that sheriff offices handle civil law enforcement functions — such as serving eviction notices and foreclosure papers — in addition to criminal law enforcement, so the sheriff office is often the correct point of contact for civil legal matters at the county level.

Sheriff by Counties

B
C
D
G
H
J
K
L
M
P
S
T
U
W
Y

If you are a Oregon resident looking to obtain a concealed carry permit, request a background check clearance letter, or serve legal documents through official channels, your county sheriff office is the starting point — contact them directly to confirm required documentation and current processing times.

Browse Sheriff by county across Oregon to find the nearest location.

Sheriff Contacts on the Coast, in the Valley and in Eastern Oregon

Oregon's geography shapes how people use their sheriff. On the north coast, Astoria has three sheriff listings in our database, reflecting a county that runs both a main office and a river-valley substation. Up the Columbia River, the Columbia County Sheriff's Office in St. Helens serves a county that follows the river toward the Portland area. Coastal weather can slow travel on Highway 101, so a quick call before you drive is wise.

On the south coast, Curry County splits its public service between Gold Beach and Brookings. The Brookings substation can be reached at 541-469-3132. Coos County's main office in Coquille answers at 541-396-3121, and Josephine County's office in Grants Pass answers at 541-474-5123.

In eastern Oregon, Grant County runs its sheriff and jail from Canyon City, beside John Day. Baker County's office in Baker takes calls at 541-523-6415, and the Wallowa County Sheriffs Department in Enterprise, near the Wallowa Mountains, is at 541-426-3131. In these counties the sheriff is often the main year-round law enforcement presence, so staff handle a wide range of requests, from lost-hunter searches to civil papers.

Each of Oregon's 36 counties elects its own sheriff for a four-year term. The race is nonpartisan, so party labels do not appear on the ballot. A candidate who wins a majority of votes in the May primary takes office without a November runoff; otherwise the top two advance. Deputies are hired by the sheriff, not elected, and they must meet the certification standards set by DPSST in Salem. If you want to learn about a candidate or ask about policies, the county elections office and the sheriff's own public information staff are the best places to start.

City police departments, such as the Portland Police Bureau, respond inside city limits. The sheriff covers unincorporated areas, operates the county jail and serves court papers countywide. The Oregon State Police patrols highways, enforces fish and wildlife laws, and assists local agencies with investigations and forensic work. In practice the lines overlap. Rural stretches of highway may see all three, and small cities sometimes contract with the sheriff for coverage. If you are unsure whom to call about a non-emergency matter, start with the sheriff's office for your county, and staff will redirect you if needed.

You apply to the sheriff of the county where you live. Expect to submit an application, show a valid photo ID and proof of residence, provide fingerprints, and pass a background check. You must also show competence with a firearm, and the application lists the training courses that qualify. State law sets a maximum fee and gives the sheriff a limited number of days to act once the application is complete. Licenses last four years. Because procedures differ by county, call your sheriff's office for appointment times and current fees before you go.

The sheriff's civil unit delivers legal documents such as summons, subpoenas and protective-order paperwork, and enforces court judgments through writs. Each county sets its own service fees, so call the office listed on our county pages. Bring the original documents, enough copies for each person served, the correct address and payment. In an eviction, the landlord must first win in court. Only after a judgment and a writ does the sheriff carry out the removal on a set date. Tenants who receive a notice should read it carefully and contact the court or legal aid right away.

Each county jail sets its own visiting schedule, ID rules and property procedures, and many now use video or phone systems. Start with the number for the office that runs the jail: 541-967-3950 for Linn County in Albany, 541-388-6655 for Deschutes County in Bend, 541-575-1131 for Grant County in Canyon City, and 541-573-6156 for Harney County in Burns. Ask about visiting days, approved visitors, how to put money on an account, and how to arrange bail. Bring a valid photo ID, and leave prohibited items outside. Staff can tell you what is allowed.

Call 911 and stay on the line. Describe your location in plain terms: road name, mile marker, nearest town and landmarks. Do not assume your phone sends an accurate position. Text-to-911 availability differs by county, so calling is the safer choice. In counties like Harney, Wheeler and Gilliam, the nearest deputy may be far away, and a state trooper or a deputy from a neighboring county may respond. Before you travel, save the local non-emergency number, such as 541-763-4101 for Wheeler County in Fossil or 541-384-2851 for Gilliam County in Condon.