Under Oregon AC law for renters, you generally have the right to install and use a portable cooling device of your choosing, even if your lease is silent or says otherwise. The rule lives in ORS 90.355, and a landlord can restrict your device only for specific reasons spelled out in the statute, delivered to you in writing. Newer buildings carry an added protection: any residential unit permitted on or after April 1, 2024 must come with a working cooling system in at least one habitable room.1Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Senate Bill 1536 Enrolled
Your Right to Install a Portable Cooler
ORS 90.355 is the core protection. It says a landlord cannot prohibit or restrict you from installing or using a portable cooling device of your choosing, with only a narrow set of exceptions.2Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 90 – Residential Landlord and Tenant The statute covers window-mounted air conditioners, freestanding floor units with exhaust hoses, and evaporative coolers. The one category excluded is any device that requires permanent structural changes to your unit.
This is a right, not a request. You do not need advance permission to buy and install a compliant portable AC. If your landlord objects, the burden sits with them to point to a specific statutory exception. Many tenants assume they need written approval first; they don’t.
When a Landlord Can Restrict Your Cooling Device
The statute does give landlords room to say no in limited situations. These fall into three groups.
Safety and Compatibility
A landlord can block a device if its installation or use would violate building codes or law, violate the manufacturer’s safety guidelines, damage the property or make it uninhabitable, or exceed the electrical capacity of the circuit, unit, or building.2Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 90 – Residential Landlord and Tenant These must rest on objective standards, not personal preference or how the unit looks from the street.
Window Installation Concerns
Window units carry extra conditions. A landlord can restrict a window installation if the window is a required emergency exit, if the device would prevent locking a window accessible from outside, if the brackets or hardware would damage the window frame, void a window warranty, or puncture the building envelope, if the unit lacks adequate drainage, or if it isn’t secured against falling.
Several of these are about how the unit is installed, not whether you can have one. A landlord can require proper fall-prevention hardware without banning AC. And where a window unit truly won’t work, a freestanding floor model with a hose routed through a window kit usually sidesteps the whole issue.
Procedural Conditions
The statute also lets a landlord require that the device be installed or removed by the landlord or their agent, inspected or serviced by the landlord, and removed during the off-season between October 1 and April 30. Those are the only procedural conditions allowed. If the landlord enters your unit for an inspection, they still owe you at least 24 hours’ notice at a reasonable time under ORS 90.322.3Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes 90.322 – Landlord or Agent Access to Premises
Restrictions Must Be in Writing
Here is the detail that catches many landlords off guard. Any restrictions on portable cooling devices must be put in writing and delivered to the tenant before they can be enforced. A verbal objection or a casual “no AC” text does not count. The written restrictions must also state whether the landlord plans to operate a community cooling space during extreme heat events on or near the property, kept at 80°F or below.2Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 90 – Residential Landlord and Tenant
If your landlord has never given you written cooling restrictions, they have no enforceable limits on your use of a portable AC beyond the baseline statutory safety requirements. This is where most landlord objections fall apart.
What a Landlord Can Ask You to Provide
A landlord is allowed to ask you to show that your device meets the statutory requirements. Specifically, they can request the manufacturer’s specifications, including cooling capacity in BTUs and electrical draw in amperes. Both figures are usually printed on the unit and listed in the owner’s manual or on the manufacturer’s website.
Having those numbers ready smooths things out if a capacity question comes up. A standard window unit draws roughly 5 to 15 amps depending on size, so comparing that to your circuit breaker rating tells you quickly whether there is a real compatibility issue. Within the building’s electrical limits and installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions, your unit leaves a landlord very little room to say no.
Priority for Tenants With Disabilities
If a building genuinely cannot handle the electrical load from everyone running AC at once, the landlord must prioritize cooling access for tenants who need a device as a disability accommodation. Capacity limits cannot be applied evenly across all tenants if doing so would leave a disabled tenant without needed cooling.
If heat exposure is medically dangerous for you, document it. A letter from your healthcare provider explaining the need strengthens your position considerably. A landlord who denies cooling access to a tenant with a documented disability faces potential fair housing consequences on top of the ORS 90.355 violation. Complaints in Oregon can be filed for free with the Bureau of Labor and Industries, and retaliation against a tenant who files one is illegal.4State of Oregon. Fair Housing
Extra Protection During Extreme Heat Events
An “extreme heat event” is any day the Oregon Housing and Community Services Department identifies based on an excessive heat warning or heat advisory from the National Weather Service.5Oregon Housing and Community Services. Heat Advisories and Cooling Resources On those days, special rules kick in.
If a landlord issues a termination notice tied to how you are using a cooling device, the clock on that notice pauses for every declared extreme heat day in your area. The termination date gets pushed back by one day for each heat day, and the notice itself must explain the extension in writing. A landlord cannot time an eviction to force you out of your AC during a heat wave.
Cooling in Newer Buildings
Senate Bill 1536 went beyond portable-device rights and added a construction requirement. Any residential unit where building permits were issued on or after April 1, 2024 must include cooling in at least one habitable room other than a bathroom. The system can be central air conditioning, an air-source or ground-source heat pump, or a landlord-provided portable AC, and it must be kept in good working order.1Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Senate Bill 1536 Enrolled
That shifts the burden. In older rentals, you supply your own portable device. In qualifying new construction, cooling is the landlord’s responsibility from day one, the same way heating and plumbing are. If the system breaks, the landlord has to fix it. Under Oregon’s essential services rule, a landlord who fails to supply a required service after written notice may owe damages based on your unit’s reduced rental value, and you may be able to procure a replacement and deduct the cost from rent.6Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code ORS 90.365 – Failure of Landlord to Supply Essential Services
If Your Landlord Blocks Your AC Unlawfully
If your landlord refuses to let you use a portable cooling device and none of the statutory exceptions apply, you have legal recourse. Oregon tenants can recover damages and seek a court order for any landlord violation of the rental agreement or the obligations in ORS Chapter 90.
Start with documentation. Put the landlord’s refusal in writing if it isn’t already. If you have received written restrictions you believe are invalid, respond in writing explaining why. Keep copies of everything. The strongest cases involve a blanket “no AC” policy issued without the required written restrictions, or stated reasons that do not match any statutory exception.
For tenants in qualifying newer buildings, the remedies are broader. If the landlord fails to maintain the cooling system, give written notice of the problem and allow reasonable time for repair. After that, you can procure cooling yourself and deduct the cost from rent, recover damages based on reduced rental value, or terminate the lease on 48 hours’ notice if the heat poses a serious health threat.6Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code ORS 90.365 – Failure of Landlord to Supply Essential Services
Help Paying for a Cooling Device
Oregon runs programs that help cover equipment costs. The Oregon Health Authority operates an Air Conditioner Deployment Program that provides freestanding portable cooling devices to OHA clients at no cost. These are floor units only, not window-mounted, and they are subject to the same seasonal and inspection rules a landlord can impose under ORS 90.355.7Oregon Health Authority. Portable Cooling Devices – Tenants Rights
For permanent installations, the Oregon Heat Pump Purchase Program offers a $2,000 incentive toward qualifying heat pumps, including ducted, ductless, and split-system models meeting minimum efficiency ratings. As of mid-2026, funding remains available for rental properties and new construction, though the owner-occupied allocation is fully reserved. Only one incentive per residence is allowed, and the work must go through an approved contractor.8Oregon Department of Energy. Oregon Heat Pump Purchase Program A separate Community Heat Pump Deployment Program covers up to $5,000 toward a standard-efficiency heat pump or $7,000 for a higher-efficiency model, with extra funding available for electrical upgrades, though it is currently limited to specific counties.