How to Request a Speed Bump on Your Street (2026 Process)

Requesting a speed bump on a public street in Oregon is a four-step process: file a request with the city's traffic-calming program, gather neighbor signatures to hit a petition threshold, wait for the city's traffic study to determine eligibility, then approve final placement. Total timeline runs 3 to 18 months depending on the city's backlog. Private parking lots and HOA-managed roads skip all of that — owners can install at any time per the ITE Traffic Calming Manual specifications.

Below: the public-street request process city-by-city across Oregon's largest jurisdictions, the petition and traffic-study requirements, and why private-property installs follow a completely different path.

Public Street Versus Private Property: Which Process Applies?

Two completely different processes apply depending on who owns the road:

• Public street (city, county, or state-owned road). The city's traffic-calming program controls approval. Petition signatures, traffic studies, and city engineering sign-off all apply. Timeline runs 3 to 18 months.
• Private property (parking lot, private road, HOA-managed road). The owner installs at will, no city approval needed. Timeline runs 1 to 4 weeks for procurement and install.

Most "how do I get a speed bump on my street" questions concern public residential streets where speeders annoy neighbors. The answer is: file with the city. Private-property installs skip every step below.

What Is the Public Street Request Process?

Step 1 — Identify Your City's Traffic-Calming Program

Each Oregon city runs its own program. Common contact points:

• Portland: PBOT Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program (portland.gov/transportation)
• Salem: Salem Public Works traffic-calming application (cityofsalem.net)
• Eugene: Eugene Engineering Procedures and Practices (eugene-or.gov)
• Springfield: Springfield DPW residential traffic-calming
• Bend: Bend Municipal Code 8.05 traffic-calming program
• Beaverton: Beaverton Engineering Manual residential traffic-calming
• Hillsboro, Gresham, Corvallis, Albany, Medford: Each has a public-works traffic-calming intake

Smaller Oregon cities defer to county public works or follow Oregon DOT residential traffic-calming guidance (oregon.gov/odot).

Step 2 — File the Initial Request

Most cities accept online intake forms. The form usually asks:

• Street name and block
• Description of the speeding problem
• Time of day when speeding occurs
• Whether neighbors have already complained
• Contact information for a neighborhood representative

Filing the form puts the request in the city's queue. It does not approve anything.

Step 3 — Gather Petition Signatures

Most Oregon cities require signatures from a percentage of households on the affected block before the request advances. Typical thresholds:

City	Petition Threshold
Portland	60 percent of households on the block
Salem	50 percent of households
Eugene	70 percent of households
Springfield	50 percent of households
Bend	60 percent of households
Beaverton	60 percent of households

Petition forms come from the city. Most cities require door-to-door signature gathering rather than digital signatures.

Step 4 — Wait for the City's Traffic Study

Once the petition meets threshold, the city's transportation engineering staff conducts a traffic study. The study measures:

• Average speed
• 85th-percentile speed
• Traffic volume
• Crash history
• Speed-bump effectiveness vs alternative devices (signage, striping, chicanes)

Per Federal Highway Administration Traffic Calming ePrimer guidance (safety.fhwa.dot.gov), 85th-percentile speeds at least 5 mph above posted speed typically qualify a street for traffic-calming review. Below that threshold, the city often denies the request.

Step 5 — Approval and Installation

If the traffic study qualifies the street, the city schedules installation. Most Oregon cities install through their own crews or through approved contractors. Cost-share programs apply in some cities — Portland and Beaverton both share install costs with petitioning households.

Approved residential speed bumps in Oregon use ITE-spec dimensions (3.5 inches tall, 12 to 14 feet long parabolic profile) per speed bump standards MUTCD. For broader install procedure context, see how to install speed bumps.

How Long Does the Process Take?

Total timeline from initial request to installed bump:

City	Typical Timeline
Portland	9 to 18 months
Salem	4 to 12 months
Eugene	6 to 14 months
Springfield	4 to 10 months
Bend	5 to 12 months
Beaverton	6 to 14 months

Backlogs vary year-to-year. Petitions filed in spring usually move faster than petitions filed in fall because Oregon's paving season runs March through October per Federal Highway Administration construction-season data.

What Happens If the City Denies the Request?

Three options:

• Appeal. Submit additional traffic-counter data or crash reports. Cities sometimes reverse denials with new data.
• Pursue alternative devices. Painted speed lines, chicanes, or signage often qualify when bumps do not.
• Wait and refile. Traffic patterns change. A street that did not qualify in 2024 may qualify in 2026.

Cities deny most speed-bump requests because the 85th-percentile speed threshold is high. Most "speeders" on residential streets travel 3 to 5 mph above posted, which typically does not meet the threshold for vertical-deflection devices.

What If the Street Is on a Bus Route or Fire-Access Road?

Two complications apply:

• Bus routes. Speed bumps slow buses meaningfully. TriMet, Lane Transit, and other transit agencies in Oregon often oppose speed bumps on bus-route streets. Cities usually substitute speed cushions or speed tables that allow buses to pass at 20 to 25 mph.
• Fire-access roads. Per NFPA 1141 and the International Fire Code, fire apparatus must reach response targets within published time windows. Speed bumps on fire-access streets often trigger fire-marshal opposition. Speed cushions with wheel-track gaps for fire trucks substitute.

For broader traffic-calming options beyond speed bumps, see how to slow down parking lot traffic (which covers many of the alternative devices that work on streets too).

What About HOAs and Private Communities?

HOAs and private communities skip the city process entirely. The HOA board votes, the install is scheduled, and a contractor like Cojo handles the work. Per Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 94 (planned communities, oregon.public.law), HOA-managed roads fall under the association's authority.

The HOA decision process typically involves:

• Board proposal
• Member notification (per Oregon ORS 94 requirements)
• Vote at the next regular meeting
• Procurement and install scheduling

Total HOA timeline runs 1 to 4 months — much faster than the public-street process.

For private-property install context across Oregon, see our Speed Bump Installation in Portland service guide — it covers commercial and HOA installs across the metro. For Oregon paving-and-marking pricing context, see asphalt paving cost Oregon.

On a Beaverton HOA we worked with in 2025, the board petitioned the city for a public-street speed bump and was denied because the 85th-percentile speed was 28 mph against a 25 mph posted speed — below the typical Beaverton threshold. The HOA pivoted to an internal traffic-calming program on its private roads and installed three rubber speed bumps inside the community within 3 weeks. Cojo supplied and installed.

Or Hire Cojo for a Private Install

Public-street speed bumps take 6 to 18 months and depend on city engineering staff timelines. Private-property and HOA installs take 1 to 4 weeks. Hire Cojo for a private install and we will walk through site survey, ITE-spec dimensions, and HOA-board documentation.

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