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ORS 656.017

Known as the Workers’ Compensation Law

The act spans §§ 656–656 (348 sections).

Applied in 115 court decisions — leading case Smothers v. Gresham Transfer, Inc. (2001)

Most recently applied in Crandall v. State of Oregon (January 2026)

1975 c.556 §21 (enacted in lieu of 656.016); 1977 c.659 §1; 1979 c.815 §1; 1981 c.854 §3; 1985 c.731 §30

How often courts cite this section

197719801990200020102020202670
citing decisions per year

Court decisions citing this, by year. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.

(1) Every employer subject to this chapter shall maintain assurance with the Director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services that subject workers of the employer and their beneficiaries will receive compensation for compensable injuries as provided by this chapter and that the employer will perform all duties and pay other obligations required under this chapter, by qualifying:

(a) As a carrier-insured employer; or

(b) As a self-insured employer as provided by ORS 656.407.

(2) Notwithstanding ORS chapter 278, this state shall provide compensation insurance for its employees through the State Accident Insurance Fund Corporation.

(3) Any employer required by the statutes of this state other than this chapter or by the rules, regulations, contracts or procedures of any agency of the federal government, this state or a political subdivision of this state to provide or agree to provide workers’ compensation coverage, either directly or through bond requirements, may provide such coverage by any method provided in this section.

Official source: Oregon State Legislature. Reproduced from public-domain Oregon statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.