Oregon Phone & Distracted Driving Laws
Whether handheld phone use and texting are banned for all drivers, additional restrictions on minors, and first-offense fines.
- Handheld phone: banned for all drivers
-
Handheld use of a mobile electronic device while driving is banned for all drivers in Oregon. Drivers 18 and older must use a hands-free accessory; the device may only require minimal use of a finger to activate or deactivate. Drivers under 18 may not use a cell phone or any mobile electronic device at all, even hands-free. The ban applies whenever a vehicle is being operated, including while stopped at a traffic light.
Source: OR Driver Manual 2026-2027, "Distracted Driving," p.79-80; codified at ORS 811.507. Verified Apr 2026
- Texting: banned for all drivers
-
Texting while driving is illegal for all drivers under the same statute that bans handheld phone use (ORS 811.507). The handbook explicitly lists texting as a "dangerous" eyes-off-road activity to avoid. There is no separate texting offense; texting is one mode of prohibited mobile-electronic-device use.
Source: OR Driver Manual 2026-2027, "Distracted Driving," p.80 ("makeup, texting, reading, eating or drinking"); ORS 811.507. Verified Apr 2026
- Hands-free also banned for minors?
-
Drivers under 18 are subject to a complete ban; they may not use a cell phone or any mobile electronic device while driving, even with a hands-free accessory. The hands-free exception applies only to drivers 18 and older.
Source: OR Driver Manual 2026-2027, "Distracted Driving," p.79: "It is illegal for drivers under 18 years of age to use a cell phone or other mobile electronic device while operating a vehicle." ORS 811.507(4)(a)(A). Verified Apr 2026
- First-offense fine (maximum)
-
Maximum fine on first offense: $1,000. The handbook prints the offense ladder: - 1st offense (no crash): Class B traffic violation, up to $1,000 (presumptive fine ~$265 under ORS 153.018) - 2nd offense in 10 years, or 1st offense contributing to a crash: Class A traffic violation, up to $2,000 - 3rd offense in 10 years: Class B misdemeanor, up to $2,500 and 6 months jail A first offender with no crash may be eligible to attend a distracted-driving avoidance course in lieu of the fine (ORS 811.508).
Source: OR Driver Manual 2026-2027, fines sidebar p.36 (1st offense up to \$1,000 / 2nd up to \$2,000 / 3rd up to \$2,500 + 6 months jail). ORS 811.507(4); ORS 153.018 (violation classes); ORS 811.508 (course-completion alternative). Verified Apr 2026
Every Oregon number on one printable page.
Phone & Distracted Driving Laws plus every other Oregon rule we track, bound into a glove-box-sized PDF.
Get the free PDF