Union County

County seat

La Grande

Judicial district

10th Judicial District (Union and Wallowa counties). Union County Circuit Court, Union County Courthouse.

County website

unioncountyor.gov

Population, 2020 Census

26,196

Area

2,037 square miles of land

Federal land

47.9%	All federal agencies
47.3%	Forest Service
0.5%	BLM
0.1%	Bureau of Reclamation

Land and economy

About 26,000 people live in Union County, half of them in La Grande. Agriculture, forest products, education and government are the principal industries, with wind energy a newer one (Oregon Blue Book). Eastern Oregon University and Grande Ronde Hospital are in La Grande. Interstate 84 and the Union Pacific main line cross the county, and the La Grande Business and Technology Park has lots for new business.

The valley floor is irrigated farm ground, mostly in family operations, with foothill ranches around it and National Forest on every side. Just under half the county is federal land, nearly all of it Forest Service. Outside the cities, farm and forest zoning under the county’s ordinance governs what can be built or divided. Many county roads were created by petition and commissioners’ journal entry, not by deed (Union County Surveyor), and water rights are administered from the watermaster’s office in La Grande.

Cities

City	Population, 2020
La Grande, county seat. The county's trade center, home of Eastern Oregon University and Grande Ronde Hospital. City hall: 1000 Adams Avenue, La Grande, OR 97850, 541-962-1309.	13,026
Union. On Catherine Creek at the south edge of the valley. Main Street is a National Historic District, and the Eastern Oregon Livestock Show is held here each June.	2,152
Elgin. On the Grande Ronde River at the north end of the valley, where Highway 82 turns toward Wallowa County. City hall shares the Elgin Opera House building. City hall: 790 S Eighth Avenue, Elgin, OR 97827, 541-437-2253.	1,717
Island City. Adjoins La Grande on the northeast along Island Avenue and Highway 82. City hall: 10605 Island Avenue, Island City, OR 97850, 541-963-5017.	1,144
Cove. At the foot of the Wallowa Mountains on the east side of the valley. Orchard country. City hall: 504 Alder Street, Cove, OR 97824, 541-568-4566.	620
North Powder. On the Powder River and Interstate 84 at the south end of the county. City hall: 635 Third Street, North Powder, OR 97867, 541-898-2185.	504
Imbler. In the middle of the valley on Highway 82 north of La Grande. City hall: 180 Ruckman Avenue, Imbler, OR 97841, 541-534-6095.	245
Summerville. A town under the north end of Mount Emily. No city website; the Blue Book page is linked. City hall: 301 Main Street, Summerville, OR 97876, 541-534-6701.	119

Unincorporated communities: Alicel, Hilgard, Hot Lake, Medical Springs, Perry, Pondosa, Starkey, Telocaset.

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 (La Grande, Union) and the Blue Book.

Union 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.

Union County Circuit CourtUnion County Courthouse, 1105 K Avenue, La Grande, OR 97850 · 541-962-9500 · courts.oregon.gov. 8 to noon and 1 to 4:30, Monday to Friday; drop box at 1105 K Avenue
County Clerk and Recorder (recording, elections, passports, Property Value Appeals Board)1001 Fourth Street, Suite D, La Grande, OR 97850 · 541-963-1006 · unioncountyor.gov · Recording. Monday to Thursday 8:30 to 5, Friday 9 to 4, closed noon to 1
County Assessor and Tax Collector (property records, tax maps, tax statements)1001 Fourth Street, Suites A and B, La Grande, OR 97850 · 541-963-1002 · unioncountyor.gov · Property search · Tax maps. Monday to Thursday 8:30 to 5, closed noon to 1
County Surveyor (survey records, corner records, road petitions)2006 Adams Avenue, La Grande, OR 97850 · 541-963-6092 · unioncountyor.gov · Survey records index. The county surveyor is in private practice and keeps a separate office, as in most rural Oregon counties.
Planning Department (zoning, partitions, subdivisions, land use applications)1001 Fourth Street, Suite C, La Grande, OR 97850 · 541-963-1014 · unioncountyor.gov. Monday to Thursday 8:30 to 5, closed noon to 1
Sheriff, civil division (service and enforcement of civil process, sheriff's sales)1109 K Avenue, La Grande, OR 97850 · 541-963-1017 · ucsooregon.gov. Monday to Friday 8 to 5
County Commissioners and administration1106 K Avenue, La Grande, OR 97850 · 541-963-1001 · unioncountyor.gov
Watermaster, Oregon Water Resources Department (water rights regulation and distribution)La Grande · 541-963-1031 · oregon.gov. Address and district from the OWRD directory.
United States District Court, District of Oregon, Pendleton Division (federal cases from Union 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

Wallowa-Whitman National ForestSupervisor's office in Baker City.
La Grande Ranger District, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest3502 Highway 30, La Grande, OR 97850 · 541-962-8500
Umatilla National ForestThe forest's ground in the north of the county is administered from the Walla Walla Ranger District.
Walla Walla Ranger District, Umatilla National Forest1415 West Rose Street, Walla Walla, WA 99362 · 509-522-6290
Eagle Cap Wilderness and the forest's other wilderness areas
BLM Vale District, Baker Field Office

Maps and property records

Union County tax map viewerAssessor tax lots with account information on the map.
Union County map portalThe county's GIS site.
Property searchAssessor records and tax statements by account, name or address.
Tax maps by township, range and section
Surveys and partitions mapCounty surveyor's index of recorded surveys and partitions.
Public land survey monuments mapCorner records filed with the county surveyor.
County road petitions mapRoads created by petition, court order and deed.
ORMAPStatewide tax maps.

Laws and land use rules

Union County Zoning, Partition and Subdivision OrdinanceOn Municode; the county's land use rules.
Union County land use regulations and comprehensive plan
Union County comprehensive plan and county-wide plans
La Grande City CodeOn Municode.

Development

Union County economic developmentThe county's page, with links to the state and regional agencies.
Northeast Oregon Economic Development DistrictBusiness lending and development help for Baker, Union and Wallowa counties.
La Grande Economic DevelopmentAvailable properties, including the La Grande Business and Technology Park, and incentives.
Union County Airport
Union County Chamber of Commerce

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 from the 1860s.
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 county lies within the land the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla ceded in the Treaty of 1855. Settlers arrived in 1861 and 1862, and the Legislative Assembly created Union County from Baker County in 1864 (Union County history). The county seat has been La Grande since 1905.

Sources for the figures

Population: 2020 Census, P.L. 94-171 Redistricting File, Oregon, table P1
Area: Census Bureau 2020 Gazetteer, Oregon counties: 2,036.94 sq mi land, 1.91 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. State of Oregon 6,500 acres (0.5 percent); BIA-administered 1,500 acres; private 671,700 acres (51.5 percent).
Unincorporated places: USGS Geographic Names Information System, Oregon populated places, downloaded 2026-09-05
County, court and city addresses checked Sat Sep 05.

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