Oregon Statutes 603.025 – Licenses required; application; term; renewal; surety bond; fee; rules
(1) A person may not sell, offer to sell or expose for sale meat products or engage in any other activity described or identified in subsection (4) of this section without first obtaining and maintaining a license for that activity from the State Department of Agriculture. All such licenses shall expire on June 30 next following the date of issuance or on such date as may be specified by department rule. Renewal applications must be postmarked before the expiration date to be timely.
Terms Used In Oregon Statutes 603.025
- Custom processing establishment: means a stationary establishment wherein slaughtered meat animals or meat, caused to be delivered by the owners thereof, are prepared for compensation, payment or remuneration of any kind, and are thereafter returned to the owner thereof or to the order of the owner. See Oregon Statutes 603.010
- Custom slaughtering establishment: means a mobile or stationary establishment wherein meat animals, caused to be delivered by the owners thereof, are slaughtered for compensation, payment or remuneration of any kind, and are thereafter returned to the owner thereof or to the order of the owner. See Oregon Statutes 603.010
- Department: means the State Department of Agriculture. See Oregon Statutes 603.010
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- Meat animal: means any vertebrate animal, except fish and aquatic mammals, not otherwise prohibited by law for sale for human consumption. See Oregon Statutes 603.010
- Meat seller establishment: means an establishment wherein meat products are sold, offered or held for sale, but which are not prepared other than to be ground, seasoned, salted, frozen, boned, cut up, wrapped or packed. See Oregon Statutes 603.010
- Nonslaughtering processing establishment: means any building, structure or vehicle wherein the activities of a slaughterhouse, custom slaughtering establishment or custom processing establishment or of an animal food slaughtering establishment or animal food processing establishment under ORS Chapter 619 are not performed, but wherein meat products are prepared. See Oregon Statutes 603.010
- Person: includes individuals, corporations, associations, firms, partnerships, limited liability companies and joint stock companies. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
- Poultry: means chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys and all other domesticated fowls or birds. See Oregon Statutes 603.010
- Prepared: means ground, seasoned, canned, cooked, salted, frozen, smoked, cured, pickled, packed, boned, dried, cut up, wrapped or otherwise manufactured or processed. See Oregon Statutes 603.010
- Slaughterhouse: means an establishment wherein meat animals are slaughtered. See Oregon Statutes 603.010
(2) Application for a license required by this section shall be made to the department on forms prescribed by the department and shall contain any information the department deems necessary. The license is personal and nontransferable, with a separate license required for each establishment location. A new license is required each time there is a change in ownership, legal entity or establishment location.
(3) In addition to other license requirements of this section, if an applicant for a license under subsection (4)(c) of this section has an average weekly dollar value of meat animal purchases that exceeds $10,000, the applicant shall submit with the application a surety bond with one or more corporate sureties authorized to do business in this state, or an irrevocable letter of credit issued by an insured institution, as defined in ORS § 706.008. The bond or letter of credit shall be in an amount equal to twice the average daily value of meat animal purchases during the preceding calendar year, or the amount of $20,000, whichever amount is greater. The department shall prescribe the form for the bond or letter of credit. A bond or letter of credit is subject to department approval and must be conditioned upon faithful performance by the licensee of all obligations to the producers of meat animals arising from the sale of meat animals by producers to the licensee.
(4) Each of the following activities must be licensed, and the fee established by the department paid with the license application:
(a) Operation of a meat seller establishment. A license under this section allows only the meat products preparation described in ORS § 603.010 (8).
(b) Operation of a nonslaughtering processing establishment. A license under this section allows selling meat products at the same location without obtaining the license described in paragraph (a) of this subsection.
(c) Operation of a slaughterhouse. A license under this section allows selling meat products at the same location without obtaining the license described in paragraph (a) of this subsection.
(d) Operation of a custom slaughtering establishment or custom processing establishment. A license under this section does not allow selling meat products without first obtaining and maintaining the license described in paragraph (a) of this subsection.
(e) Operation of a slaughterhouse, custom slaughtering establishment or custom processing establishment wherein only poultry or rabbits are slaughtered or prepared. A license under this section allows selling only poultry or rabbit products at the same location without obtaining the license described in paragraph (a) of this subsection.
(5) The license required by this section shall be displayed at all times in a conspicuous manner at the address shown on the license.
(6) The department may adopt rules establishing license fee schedules for establishments licensed under this section. The department may determine the license fee for an establishment based upon the annual gross dollar volume of sales and services by the applicant. In establishing the amount of the license fee for an establishment, the State Department of Agriculture shall use the annual gross dollar volume of sales and services by that establishment within Oregon during the prior calendar year or, if the establishment maintains sales and service records on a fiscal basis, the prior fiscal year. If the establishment applying for an original license or for a renewal license cannot provide the annual gross dollar volume of sales and services for a full calendar year, the department shall base the fee on estimated annual gross sales and services by the establishment. If an establishment whose previous year’s fee was determined using an estimated gross sales and services figure applies for renewal of that license, the fee for the previous license year shall be adjusted to reflect the actual annual gross dollar volume of sales and services by the establishment.
(7) Except as provided in this subsection, the department may not adopt a rule under this section to establish a license fee that is more than three percent higher than the license fee charged during the preceding year for an establishment of the same type and having the same volume of gross sales and services. When adopting a rule establishing a license fee, notwithstanding the three percent limit, the department may round the fee amount to the next higher whole dollar amount. Fee schedules adopted under this section may not change the amount of the same license fee more frequently than once each year. [1973 c.175 § 4; 1975 c.703 § 1; 1982 s.s.1 c.4 § 1; 1991 c.331 § 92; 1991 c.632 § 1; 1997 c.631 § 505; 2005 c.735 1,2; 2007 c.768 19,20; 2012 c.64 § 1]
The amendments to 603.025 by section 36, chapter 64, Oregon Laws 2012, become operative July 1, 2026. See section 45, chapter 64, Oregon Laws 2012, as amended by section 10, chapter 386, Oregon Laws 2019. The text that is operative on and after July 1, 2026, including amendments by section 1, chapter 386, Oregon Laws 2019, is set forth for the user’s convenience.
(1) A person may not sell, offer to sell or expose for sale meat products or engage in any other activity described or identified in subsection (4) of this section without first obtaining and maintaining a license for that activity from the State Department of Agriculture. All such licenses shall expire on June 30 next following the date of issuance or on such date as may be specified by department rule. Renewal applications must be postmarked before the expiration date to be timely.
(2) Application for a license required by this section shall be made to the department on forms prescribed by the department and shall contain any information the department deems necessary. The license is personal and nontransferable, with a separate license required for each establishment location. A new license is required each time there is a change in ownership, legal entity or establishment location.
(3) In addition to other license requirements of this section, if an applicant for a license under subsection (4)(c) of this section has an average weekly dollar value of meat animal purchases that exceeds $10,000, the applicant shall submit with the application a surety bond with one or more corporate sureties authorized to do business in this state, or an irrevocable letter of credit issued by an insured institution, as defined in ORS § 706.008. The bond or letter of credit shall be in an amount equal to twice the average daily value of meat animal purchases during the preceding calendar year, or the amount of $20,000, whichever amount is greater. The department shall prescribe the form for the bond or letter of credit. A bond or letter of credit is subject to department approval and must be conditioned upon faithful performance by the licensee of all obligations to the producers of meat animals arising from the sale of meat animals by producers to the licensee.
(4) Each of the following activities must be licensed, and the fee established by the department paid with the license application:
(a) Operation of a meat seller establishment. A license under this paragraph allows only the meat products preparation described in ORS § 603.010 (8).
(b) Operation of a nonslaughtering processing establishment. A license under this paragraph allows selling meat products at the same location without obtaining the license described in paragraph (a) of this subsection.
(c) Operation of a slaughterhouse. A license under this paragraph allows selling meat products at the same location without obtaining the license described in paragraph (a) of this subsection.
(d) Operation of a custom slaughtering establishment or custom processing establishment. A license under this paragraph does not allow selling meat products without first obtaining and maintaining the license described in paragraph (a) of this subsection.
(e) Operation of a slaughterhouse, custom slaughtering establishment or custom processing establishment wherein only poultry or rabbits are slaughtered or prepared. A license under this paragraph allows selling only poultry or rabbit products at the same location without obtaining the license described in paragraph (a) of this subsection.
(5) The license required by this section shall be displayed at all times in a conspicuous manner at the address shown on the license.
(6) The department may adopt rules establishing license fee schedules for establishments licensed under this section. The department may determine the license fee for an establishment based upon the annual gross dollar volume of sales and services by the applicant. In establishing the amount of the license fee for an establishment, the State Department of Agriculture shall use the annual gross dollar volume of sales and services by that establishment within Oregon during the prior calendar year or, if the establishment maintains sales and service records on a fiscal basis, the prior fiscal year. If the establishment applying for an original license or for a renewal license cannot provide the annual gross dollar volume of sales and services for a full calendar year, the department shall base the fee on estimated annual gross sales and services by the establishment. If an establishment whose previous year’s fee was determined using an estimated gross sales and services figure applies for renewal of that license, the fee for the previous license year shall be adjusted to reflect the actual annual gross dollar volume of sales and services by the establishment.
(7) The department may not adopt or enforce a rule under this section establishing a license fee that is higher than the license fee charged for the license year that began July 1, 2025, for an establishment of the same type and having the same volume of gross sales and services. Fee schedules adopted under this section may not change the amount of the same license fee more frequently than once each year.