Oregon Statutes 12.135 – Action for damages from construction, alteration or repair of improvement to real property; substantial completion defined; application
(1) An action against a person by a plaintiff who is not a public body, whether in contract, tort or otherwise, arising from the person having performed the construction, alteration or repair of any improvement to real property or the supervision or inspection thereof, or from the person having furnished design, planning, surveying, architectural or engineering services for the improvement, must be commenced before the earliest of:
Terms Used In Oregon Statutes 12.135
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- Person: includes individuals, corporations, associations, firms, partnerships, limited liability companies and joint stock companies. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
- Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
- public body: means state government bodies, local government bodies and special government bodies. See Oregon Statutes 174.109
- Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
- Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.
(a) The applicable period of limitation otherwise established by law;
(b) Ten years after substantial completion or abandonment of the construction, alteration or repair of a small commercial structure, as defined in ORS § 701.005, a residential structure, as defined in ORS § 701.005, or a large commercial structure, as defined in ORS § 701.005, that is owned or maintained by a homeowners association, as defined in ORS § 94.550, or that is owned or maintained by an association of unit owners, as defined in ORS § 100.005; or
(c) Six years after substantial completion or abandonment of the construction, alteration or repair of a large commercial structure, as defined in ORS § 701.005, other than a large commercial structure described in paragraph (b) of this subsection.
(2) An action against a person by a public body, whether in contract, tort or otherwise, arising from the person having performed the construction, alteration or repair of any improvement to real property or the supervision or inspection thereof, or from the person having furnished design, planning, surveying, architectural or engineering services for the improvement, must be commenced not more than 10 years after substantial completion or abandonment of such construction, alteration or repair of the improvement to real property.
(3)(a) Notwithstanding subsections (1) and (2) of this section, an action against a person registered to practice architecture under ORS § 671.010 to 671.220, a person registered to practice landscape architecture under ORS § 671.310 to 671.459 or a person registered to practice engineering under ORS § 672.002 to 672.325 to recover damages for injury to a person, property or to any interest in property, including damages for delay or economic loss, regardless of legal theory, arising out of the construction, alteration or repair of any improvement to real property must be commenced before the earliest of:
(A) Two years after the date the injury or damage is first discovered or in the exercise of reasonable care should have been discovered;
(B) Ten years after substantial completion or abandonment of the construction, alteration or repair of a small commercial structure, as defined in ORS § 701.005, a residential structure, as defined in ORS § 701.005, or a large commercial structure, as defined in ORS § 701.005, that is owned or maintained by a homeowners association, as defined in ORS § 94.550, or that is owned or maintained by an association of unit owners, as defined in ORS § 100.005; or
(C) Six years after substantial completion or abandonment of the construction, alteration or repair of a large commercial structure, as defined in ORS § 701.005, other than a large commercial structure described in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph.
(b) This subsection applies to actions brought by any person or public body.
(4) For purposes of this section:
(a) ‘Public body’ has the meaning given that term in ORS § 174.109; and
(b) ‘Substantial completion’ means the earliest of:
(A) The date when the contractee accepts in writing the construction, alteration or repair of the improvement to real property or any designated portion thereof as having reached that state of completion when it may be used or occupied for its intended purpose or, if there is no such written acceptance, the date of acceptance of the completed construction, alteration or repair of such improvement by the contractee;
(B) The date when a public body issues a certificate of occupancy for the improvement; or
(C) The date when the owner uses or occupies the improvement for its intended purpose.
(5) For purposes of this section, an improvement to real property is considered abandoned on the same date that the improvement is considered abandoned under ORS § 87.045.
(6) This section:
(a) Applies to an action against a manufacturer, distributor, seller or lessor of a manufactured dwelling, as defined in ORS § 446.003, or of a prefabricated structure, as defined in ORS § 455.010; and
(b) Does not apply to actions against any person in actual possession and control of the improvement, as owner, tenant or otherwise, at the time such cause of action accrues. [1971 c.664 2,3,4; 1983 c.437 § 1; 1991 c.968 § 1; 2009 c.485 § 3; 2009 c.715 § 1; 2013 c.469 § 1; 2019 c.327 § 1]