§ 18.395 Homestead

18.395. Homestead

(1) A homestead shall be exempt from sale on execution, from the lien of every judgment and from liability in any form for the debts of the owner to the amount in value of $40,000, except as otherwise provided by law. The exemption shall be effective without the necessity of a claim thereof by the judgment debtor. When two or more members of a household are debtors whose interests in the homestead are subject to sale on execution, the lien of a judgment or liability in any form, their combined exemptions under this section shall not exceed $50,000. The homestead must be the actual abode of and occupied by the owner, or the owner's spouse, parent or child, but the exemption shall not be impaired by:

(a) Temporary removal or temporary absence with the intention to reoccupy the same as a homestead;

(b) Removal or absence from the property; or

(2) The exemption shall extend to the proceeds derived from such sale to an amount not exceeding $40,000 or $50,000, whichever amount is applicable under subsection (1) of this section, if the proceeds are held for a period not exceeding one year and held with the intention to procure another homestead therewith.

(3) The exemption period under subsection (1)(b) and (c) of this section shall be one year from the removal, absence or sale, whichever occurs first.

(4) When the owner of a homestead has been granted a discharge in bankruptcy or has conveyed the homestead property, the value thereof, for the purpose of determining a leviable interest in excess of the homestead exemption, shall be the value on the date of the petition in bankruptcy, whether the value is determined in the bankruptcy proceedings or not, or on the date the conveyance becomes effective, whichever shall first occur. However, with respect to judgments not discharged in the bankruptcy, or entered against the owner after discharge, the value on the effective date of conveyance shall be controlling.

(5) Except as provided in subsection (7) of this section, no homestead that is the actual abode of and occupied by the judgment debtor, or that is the actual abode of and occupied by a spouse, dependent parent or dependent child of the judgment debtor, shall be sold on execution to satisfy a judgment that at the time of entry does not exceed $3,000. However, such judgment shall remain a lien upon the real property, and the property may be sold on execution:

(a) At any time after the sale of the property by the judgment debtor; and

(b) At any time after the property is no longer the actual abode of and occupied by the judgment debtor or the spouse, dependent parent or dependent child of the judgment debtor.

(6) The limitation on execution sales imposed by subsection (5) of this section is not impaired by temporary removal or temporary absence with the intention to reoccupy the property as a homestead.

(7) The limitation on execution sales imposed by subsection (5) of this section does not apply if two or more judgments are owing to a single judgment creditor and the total amount owing to the judgment creditor, determined by adding the amount of each individual judgment as of the date the judgment was entered, is greater than $3,000.

(8) Upon the issuance of an order authorizing sale as required by ORS 18.904, and in conformance with subsection (5) of this section, the sheriff may proceed to sell the property. If the homestead exemption applies, the sheriff shall pay the homestead owner out of the proceeds the sum of $40,000 or $50,000, whichever is applicable, and apply the balance of the proceeds on the execution. However, no sale shall be made where the homestead exemption applies unless the sum bid for the homestead is in excess of the sum of the costs of sale and $40,000 or $50,000, whichever is applicable. If no such bid is received, the expense of the sale shall be borne by the petitioner.

(9) The homestead exemption provided by this section applies to a purchaser's interest under a land sale contract, as defined by ORS 18.960.

(10) The homestead exemption provided by this section applies to:

(a) A floating home, as defined by ORS 830.700; and

(b) A manufactured dwelling, as defined by ORS 446.003.