Home Inspection Contingency in Oregon
The contingency is a contract term, not an Oregon statute. What Oregon does set is a hard deadline on complaining about the inspection itself, and it is shorter than most buyers expect.
Oregon has no statutory home inspection contingency. It exists because your purchase agreement creates it, so the deadline and the remedy are negotiated terms. Oregon sets one hard clock. A CCB complaint about the inspection must be filed within one year of the initial written report, under ORS 701.143.
Oregon does not legislate the contingency
No Oregon rule creates, defines or times a home inspection contingency. It exists because your purchase agreement says so.
That means the inspection period, the remedy and the walk-away right are all negotiated terms. Read the agreement, not a national article, for how long you have.
A national template describing a standard ten day contingency describes a custom, not Oregon law.
The deadline Oregon does set
A complaint to the CCB about the inspection must be filed within one year. The operative citation is ORS 701.143, and the clock starts when the initial written report is delivered.
CCB states there are no exceptions to the time limits. Delivery of the report is the trigger, so the date on it matters.
This is the administrative deadline for a CCB complaint. It is not the civil statute of limitations for a court action, which is a separate question for a lawyer.
A common citation error worth avoiding
The deadline is not ORS 701.355. That section was renumbered to ORS 701.450 in 2015. It is a twelve month bar on the inspector performing repair work, which is a conflict of interest rule.
Guides that cite 701.355 for the complaint deadline are quoting a section that no longer says what they claim.
Reliance decides who can complain at all
Every Oregon report carries a mandatory notice that only the purchaser of the inspection services may rely on it. It appears on the first page in bold capitals at 12pt or larger.
If you negotiated using the seller pre-listing report, you have no reliance and no complaint rights. The contingency in your contract does not repair that.
Asked and answered
Whatever your purchase agreement says. Oregon sets no statutory period, so it is negotiated alongside price and closing date.
Only if your contract gives you that right within the inspection period. The right comes from the agreement, not from Oregon law.
One year from delivery of the initial written report, under ORS 701.143. CCB states there are no exceptions to the time limits.