Umatilla County

County seat

Pendleton

Judicial district

6th Judicial District (Umatilla and Morrow counties). Umatilla County Circuit Court, Umatilla County Courthouse.

County website

umatillacounty.gov

Population, 2020 Census

80,075

Area

3,215 square miles of land

Federal land

21.4%	All federal agencies
19.5%	Forest Service
1.1%	BLM
0.3%	Fish and Wildlife Service
0.4%	Department of Defense
0.1%	Bureau of Reclamation

Land and economy

About 80,000 people live in Umatilla County, and Hermiston and Pendleton are the largest of its twelve cities. Agriculture, food processing, forest products, manufacturing, wind power and tourism are the principal industries (Oregon Blue Book). Interstates 84 and 82 meet at Hermiston, which has a Union Pacific switching facility (City of Hermiston). The Port of Umatilla runs a Columbia River barge dock, and 3,100 acres of the former Umatilla Army Depot are zoned for industry (Columbia Development Authority). Data centers are among the county’s recent projects (Umatilla County).

Land runs from irrigated Columbia River bottomland and dryland wheat to timbered Blue Mountain foothills. Just over a fifth of the county is federal, nearly all Forest Service. The Umatilla Indian Reservation, about 172,000 acres, lies east of Pendleton (CTUIR), and the Confederated Tribes’ Tribal Court has jurisdiction there. Outside the cities, the county’s Development Code, with its farm, forest and range zones, governs what can be built or divided. West-county irrigation water comes through the Umatilla Project districts and is administered from the watermaster’s office in Pendleton, and the county surveyor keeps survey and corner records.

Cities

City	Population, 2020
Hermiston. The county's largest city, at the Interstate 84 and 82 junction, with irrigated farm ground and the South Hermiston Industrial Park. City hall: 235 E Gladys Ave., Hermiston, OR 97838, 541-567-5521.	19,354
Pendleton, county seat. On the Umatilla River beside the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and home to Pendleton Woolen Mills and the Pendleton Round-Up rodeo. City hall: 500 SW Dorion Ave., Pendleton, OR 97801, 541-966-0201.	17,107
Umatilla. On the Columbia River near McNary Dam and the mouth of the Umatilla River, at the county's west end. City hall: 700 Sixth St., Umatilla, OR 97882, 541-922-3226.	7,363
Milton-Freewater. In the Walla Walla Valley near the Washington line, the center of the county's fruit orchards and Rocks District wine grapes. City hall: 722 S Main St., Milton-Freewater, OR 97862, 541-938-5531.	7,151
Stanfield. A small farm town in the west county, served by the Bureau of Reclamation's Umatilla Project irrigation districts. City hall: 160 S Main St., Stanfield, OR 97875, 541-449-3831.	2,144
Pilot Rock. A farm and timber town on the South Fork Umatilla River, about 15 miles south of Pendleton on Highway 395. City hall: 144 N Alder Pl., Pilot Rock, OR 97868, 541-443-2811.	1,328
Athena. A small wheat-farming town about halfway between Pendleton and Walla Walla, Washington. City hall: 302 E Current St., Athena, OR 97813, 541-566-3862.	1,209
Weston. A small town with a commercial historic district on East Main Street. City hall: 114 Main St., Weston, OR 97886, 541-566-3313.	706
Echo. On the Umatilla River about eight miles south of Hermiston and one mile from Interstate 84. City hall: 20 S Bonanza St., Echo, OR 97826, 541-376-6038.	632
Adams. A small wheat-country town on Wildhorse Creek, 13 miles northeast of Pendleton. City hall: 190 North Main St., Adams, OR 97810, 541-566-9380.	389
Helix. A small dryland wheat town north of Pendleton. City hall: 120 Columbia, Helix, OR 97835, 541-457-2521.	194
Ukiah. At 3,400 feet in the Camas Creek valley, on the road to the North Fork John Day Ranger District. City hall: PO Box 265, Ukiah, OR 97880, 541-427-3900.	159

Unincorporated communities: Bingham Springs, Bucks Corners, Cayuse, Charlestown, Cobb, Cold Springs, Cold Springs Junction, Crockett, Duncan, Ferndale, Fulton, Gibbon, Glendale, Green Meadows, Gurdane, Hidaway Springs, Hinkle, Holdman, Kirkpatrick, Lehman Springs, McKay, McNary, Meacham, Mission, Nolin, Nye, Power City, Rieth, Riverside, Sunnyside, Tollgate, Tutuilla, Umapine, Waterman.

2020 Census, P.L. 94-171 Redistricting File, place level. City hall addresses and incorporation years from the Oregon Blue Book city pages, read 2026-09-05. Blurb facts from the Oregon Encyclopedia (Pendleton, Hermiston, Milton-Freewater, Echo, Athena, Adams) and the Blue Book; see editor notes for the smaller cities where a fact could not be pinned to a government source or named book.

Umatilla County and its incorporated cities. Census Bureau boundaries, public domain.

Courts and public offices

Appeals go to the Oregon Court of Appeals in Salem. Federal cases from the county are filed in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon and heard in the Pendleton Division.

Umatilla County Circuit CourtUmatilla County Courthouse, 216 SE 4th Street, Pendleton, OR 97801 · 541-278-0341 · courts.oregon.gov. 8 to noon and 1 to 4:30, Monday to Friday; drop box outside Room 230, second floor, available 8 to 5 on court days. A second full-service circuit court location sits at the Stafford Hansell Government Center, 915 SE Columbia Drive, Hermiston, OR 97838, phone 541-667-3020, drop box on the north wall of the building, available at any time. Most filings may be made at either location.
Tribal Court, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (civil and criminal cases arising on the Umatilla Indian Reservation)Nixyaawii Governance Center, 46411 Timine Way, Pendleton, OR 97801 · 541-276-2046 · ctuir.org
County Records (formerly the County Clerk's Office) (recording, marriage licenses, passports, Property Value Appeals Board; elections are a separate county department)Umatilla County Courthouse, 216 SE 4th Street, Room 116, Pendleton, OR 97801 · 541-278-6236 · umatillacounty.gov · Office hours and locations · Elections. Recording, Monday to Friday 8 to 4:30. A second, satellite office at the Stafford Hansell Government Center, 915 SE Columbia Drive, Hermiston, OR 97838, phone 541-667-3001, does not record documents or issue passports.
Assessment and Taxation (property records, tax maps, tax statements, appeals)Umatilla County Courthouse, 216 SE 4th Street, Pendleton, OR 97801 · 541-278-6219 · umatillacounty.gov · Property search online · Assessor maps
Surveyor, Public Works Department (survey records, corner records, road right-of-way records)3920 Westgate, Pendleton, OR 97801 · 541-278-5460 · umatillacounty.gov · Survey records index. A county department under Public Works, not a private-practice appointee.
Planning Division, Community Development Department (zoning, partitions, subdivisions, land use applications, building and septic permit coordination)Umatilla County Courthouse, 216 SE 4th Street, Room 104, Pendleton, OR 97801 · 541-278-6252 · umatillacounty.gov
Sheriff, civil division (service and enforcement of civil process, sheriff's sales)Umatilla County Justice Center, 4700 NW Pioneer Place, Pendleton, OR 97801 · 541-966-3600 · umatillacounty.gov
Board of County CommissionersUmatilla County Courthouse, 216 SE 4th Street, Pendleton, OR 97801 · 541-278-6204 · umatillacounty.gov
Watermaster, Oregon Water Resources Department (water rights regulation and distribution, District 5 (Umatilla and John Day basins))Pendleton · oregon.gov. The OWRD directory lists the current address, phone and district lines.
United States District Court, District of Oregon, Pendleton Division (federal cases from Umatilla County)John F. Kilkenny U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, 104 SW Dorion Avenue, Pendleton, OR 97801 · Clerk's office, Portland, 503-326-8000 · ord.uscourts.gov. The Pendleton courthouse is not staffed; filings go to the Portland clerk.

National forests and public land

Umatilla National ForestSupervisor's office in Pendleton.
Umatilla National Forest Supervisor's Office72510 Coyote Road, Pendleton, OR 97801 · 541-278-3716
Walla Walla Ranger District, Umatilla National Forest1415 West Rose Street, Walla Walla, WA 99362 · 509-522-6290 · Covers the forest's ground in the northern part of the county.
North Fork John Day Ranger District, Umatilla National Forest401 Main Street, Ukiah, OR 97880 · 541-427-3231 · Covers the forest's ground in the southern part of the county, including the North Fork John Day Wilderness.
North Fork Umatilla WildernessIn the North Fork Umatilla River canyon about 30 miles northeast of Pendleton.
Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness and North Fork John Day WildernessThe forest's other two wildernesses; both lie mostly outside Umatilla County.
BLM Vale District, Baker Field Office
Umatilla Project, U.S. Bureau of ReclamationMcKay Dam and Reservoir (1927) and Cold Springs Reservoir (1908, the project's first feature); irrigation storage for the Hermiston, West Extension, Stanfield and Westland irrigation districts.
McNary Lock and Dam, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla DistrictOn the Columbia River near Umatilla.
McKay Creek National Wildlife RefugeU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; overlies the Bureau of Reclamation's McKay Creek Reservoir east of Pendleton. Part of the Mid-Columbia River National Wildlife Refuge Complex.
Cold Springs National Wildlife Refuge79870 Reservoir Road, Stanfield, OR 97875 · 509-546-8300 · Overlies the Bureau of Reclamation's Cold Springs Reservoir near Hermiston.
Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge72650 Riverview Lane, Irrigon, OR 97844 · 509-546-8300 · Along the Columbia River; self-guided, no staffed visitor center.

Maps and property records

Umatilla County interactive mapArcGIS Experience Builder app; assessor tax lots, zoning and other county layers.
Property search onlineAssessor records and tax statements by account, name or address.
Assessor maps
Digital Research RoomRecorded document search; redirects to a login page.
Official zoning map
ORMAPStatewide tax maps.

Laws and land use rules

Umatilla County Development CodeOriginal code 1983, as amended; chapters 150-153 of the county code.
Umatilla County Comprehensive PlanAcknowledged 1985, reformatted 2008, amended since.
1972 Umatilla County Zoning CodeApplies inside the urban growth areas of the county's cities.
Umatilla County Code of Ordinances
Pendleton City CodeOn Municode.
Hermiston Municipal CodeOn Municode.

Development

Umatilla County Economic Development and TourismCounty program for business recruitment, grants and tax incentive programs.
Port of UmatillaColumbia River barge dock and rail switch yard at the port's industrial property.
Columbia Development AuthorityRedevelopment of the former Umatilla Army Depot, with 3,100 acres designated for industrial use.
Hermiston Airport Business ParkDeveloped lots of one to more than ten acres for lease, for non-aviation commercial and industrial use.
Hermiston Chamber of CommerceBusiness directory, membership and events.
Blue Mountain Small Business Development CenterFree one-on-one business advising through Blue Mountain Community College, serving Umatilla, Wallowa and Baker counties.

Resources

Oregon Judicial Department self-helpForms, fee waivers, representing yourself in circuit court.
OJD eFileElectronic filing in Oregon circuit courts.
OJCIN OnlineCase records and calendars.
BLM General Land Office RecordsOriginal patents and survey plats.
Oregon Water Resources Department water rightsCertificates, permits, points of diversion.
Oregon Water Resources Department watermaster directory
Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development

History

The legislature created Umatilla County from Wasco County on September 27, 1862, and an 1868 election made Pendleton the permanent county seat as wheat farming drew settlement north and east (Umatilla County history). The Bureau of Reclamation's Umatilla Project, built between 1906 and 1908, brought irrigation to the sagebrush ground around Hermiston (Oregon Encyclopedia, Hermiston).

Sources for the figures

Population: 2020 Census, P.L. 94-171 Redistricting File, Oregon, table P1
Area: Census Bureau 2020 Gazetteer, Oregon counties: 3,215.45 sq mi land, 16.07 water
Federal land: BLM National Surface Management Agency dataset, clipped to the Census county boundary and measured in Albers equal-area by maps/fedland.py; SMA data edited 2026-07-03; computed 2026-09-05. Bureau of Indian Affairs 172,454 acres (8.3 percent), almost all of it the Umatilla Indian Reservation; State of Oregon 17,053 acres (0.8 percent); private 1,430,908 acres (69.2 percent); 5,073 acres coded undetermined; 874 acres Army Corps of Engineers (the McNary pool); 11 acres Department of Energy; 5 acres local government.
Unincorporated places: USGS Geographic Names Information System, Oregon populated places, downloaded 2026-09-05; historical entries and Pendair Heights (inside the Pendleton city limits) omitted
County, court and city addresses checked Mon Sep 07.

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