Does Oregon require a rainscreen gap behind siding?

By default, yes. Section R703.1.1 of the 2023 Oregon Residential Specialty Code calls for a drainage space of at least 1/8 inch between the water-resistive barrier and the siding, made with furring strips, a drainage mat or drainage board. Exceptions include a drainage-enhanced barrier meeting the 75 percent drainage efficiency requirement of ASTM E2273. A 2026 edition of the code took effect on October 1, 2026, and either edition may be used until April 1, 2027.

What type of siding is best for the Pacific Northwest?

No single material wins in a wet climate like the Willamette Valley's. Fiber cement, vinyl, engineered wood such as LP SmartSide, and cedar can all keep water out when the wall behind them has a water-resistive barrier, a drainage gap and flashing. They differ in upkeep, how they handle heat and impact, how easily they are repaired, and cost.

Is vinyl siding a bad idea in Salem's summer heat?

Not if it is installed the way its makers specify. The Vinyl Siding Institute's installation manual calls for about 1/32 inch between nail head and panel, and a 1/4-inch gap at corner posts and channels, so panels can move. Panels nailed tight, or hit by strong sunlight reflected from nearby windows, are the ones at risk of distorting.

Do I need fire-resistant siding in Oregon?

No statewide wildfire rule requires a particular siding material. Senate Bill 83, passed in 2025, repealed Oregon's statewide wildfire hazard map and the building rules tied to it. The residential code still calls for fire-resistance-rated walls in some locations, such as close to a property line.

Best Siding for Salem's Climate: Hardie, Vinyl, LP or Cedar

There is no single best siding for Salem. The climate asks every material for the same things: shed a lot of winter rain, dry out between storms, and ride out the occasional heat wave or ice storm. NOAA’s 1991-2020 normals give Salem about 40 inches of rain a year, roughly half of it in November, December and January, and less than a tenth from June through September. Fiber cement, vinyl, engineered wood and cedar can all handle that when the wall behind them is built to Oregon’s code. Where they differ is maintenance, how they cope with heat and impact, and cost.

The same goes for the wider question of what siding is best for the Pacific Northwest. None of the four wins outright. Fiber cement does not soften in heat and James Hardie lists it as noncombustible, but it is heavy and cutting it makes silica dust. Vinyl needs no painting but has to hang loosely, and strong reflected sunlight can distort it. Engineered wood and cedar are lighter and easy to repair a piece at a time, but depend on sound paint or stain and sealed ends. In a climate this wet, the barrier, drainage gap and flashing behind any of them matter more than the choice between them.

Salem siding materials compared

	Fiber cement	Vinyl	Engineered wood	Cedar
Main moisture risk	Wrong clearances: James Hardie calls for 6 in. above finished grade and at least 1 in. above roofing	Water reaching the wall at openings and roof edges; the barrier and flashing behind the panels do the work	Unsealed cut edges and nail holes, and paint left to fail	Water sitting at board ends, sills and failed caulk joints
Summer heat	Does not soften in heat	Must hang loosely: about 1/32 in. at nail heads, 1/4 in. gaps at posts and channels; strong reflected sunlight can distort it	Installed to the maker’s clearance and fastening rules	No heat-specific rule in the sources used here
Ice-storm limbs and impact	Hard boards; a broken board is replaced	Panels crack on impact; replacements may not match faded panels	Damaged boards replaced to the maker’s instructions	Split boards and shingles repaired a piece at a time
Upkeep	Primed boards painted on site and repainted over time; prefinished boards arrive painted	No routine painting; washed within the maker’s limits	Primed or prefinished, painted over time	Paint or stain renewed, or left to weather
Published cost on this site	Pacific region and Albany, Oregon figures	Pacific region and Albany, Oregon figures	None published	None published

The table has no lifespan column on purpose. No dependable published figure covers how long siding lasts in Salem’s conditions, and the details behind the siding, covered at the end of this article, decide most of it. For the published costs, with sources and dates, see the siding cost page.

Head to head: the comparisons people ask about

Fiber cement or vinyl?

Vinyl is light, needs no painting, and is hung loose so it can move; the Vinyl Siding Institute’s manual calls for about 1/32 inch between nail head and panel. Fiber cement is heavier, has to be cut with dust controls, and is painted on site unless it arrives prefinished, but it does not soften in heat. On cost, the published figures disagree: vinyl came in below fiber cement in the 2025 Pacific region averages and above it in the 2024 Albany, Oregon figures, both on the siding cost page.

LP SmartSide or James Hardie?

The two makers’ instructions, James Hardie’s for Salem’s climate zone and LP’s for its lap siding, are closer than most comparisons suggest. Both call for 6 inches of clearance above finished grade and 1 inch above roofing, both are blind nailed, both want primed boards painted within 180 days, and neither allows stain. The differences: engineered wood is wood-based, so its cut edges and nail holes have to stay sealed, and LP asks for a 3/16-inch sealed gap where boards meet trim against James Hardie’s 1/8 inch. Fiber cement is heavier, and James Hardie lists it as noncombustible under ASTM E136. This site publishes no engineered wood cost, so the two cannot be compared on price here.

Cedar or fiber cement?

Cedar is easy to repair a board or shingle at a time, can be painted or stained, and is fastened with stainless steel, hot-dipped galvanized or aluminum nails. Its finish needs renewing, and it rots where water sits at board ends, sills and failed joints. Fiber cement is not wood, but the wood trim, sheathing and framing around and behind it still can rot, so the same flashing and clearances apply. On a Salem historic property, replacing cedar with fiber cement is a change of material that needs historic design review first. No dependable published price exists for cedar, so none is given.

What does Salem’s weather ask of siding?

Winter rain. November, December and January each average roughly six to seven inches of rain. Some water gets behind any siding, so the wall needs a water-resistive barrier, flashing and a way for water to drain out.
Dry summers. June through September bring about 3.35 inches combined. That is the easiest window for painting and caulking, which have temperature and dew-point limits set by each product.
Heat. Salem reached 117°F on June 28, 2021, its hottest day on record.
Ice storms. A Salem Public Works analysis found the city lost 17.6% of its tree canopy between August 2020 and May 2021, mostly to the February 2021 ice storm, AP reported via OPB. In January 2024, another ice storm led the governor to declare a statewide emergency after falling trees damaged homes across Oregon (Oregon Capital Chronicle). Falling limbs crack and hole siding.
Mild winter lows. Average winter lows sit around 35 to 36°F and hard freezes are uncommon, so water, more than frost, is what siding here has to manage.
Wildfire. The 2020 Beachie Creek fire burned through the Santiam Canyon east of Salem. In 2025, Senate Bill 83 repealed Oregon’s statewide wildfire hazard map and the building rules tied to it, so there is no state rule requiring a particular siding material.

Fiber cement

Fiber cement is cement, sand and cellulose fiber, pressed into lap boards, panels and shingles by makers such as James Hardie and Allura.

Weather: handles rain when its clearances and the wall behind it are right, and does not soften in heat. James Hardie lists its siding as noncombustible under ASTM E136.
Installation: heavy, and cutting it makes silica dust that OSHA’s construction silica standard addresses. James Hardie calls for at least 6 inches of clearance to finished grade and at least 1 inch above roofing (its HZ10 instructions, which cover Salem).
Upkeep: primed boards are painted on site and repainted over time; prefinished boards arrive painted.
Cost: published Pacific region and Albany, Oregon figures are on the siding cost page.

Vinyl

Vinyl siding is PVC formed into lap, Dutch lap, board-and-batten and shake-style panels.

Weather: sheds rain like any cladding, over a water-resistive barrier. It has to hang loosely so it can move with temperature, and strong reflected sunlight can distort it.
Installation: light. The Vinyl Siding Institute’s manual calls for about 1/32 inch between nail head and panel, and a 1/4-inch gap at corner posts and channels, 3/8 inch below 40°F.
Upkeep: color runs through the material, so there is no routine painting; faded or cracked panels can be swapped, though new ones may not match.
Cost: below fiber cement in the Pacific region averages, above it in the Albany, Oregon figures.

Engineered wood

Engineered wood lap siding is made from wood strands or fibers with resins and treatments; LP SmartSide is one such product, and LP says its SmartSide products are treated with a zinc borate-based process. It is a different product line from the LP Inner-Seal OSB siding of the 1980s and 1990s, whose class-action settlement has closed.

Weather: like any wood-based product, it depends on sealed edges, sound paint and the maker’s clearances.
Installation: lighter than fiber cement, and installed to the maker’s own instructions.
Upkeep: primed or prefinished, with painting over time.
Cost: this site publishes no engineered wood figures.

Cedar

Cedar comes as lap siding, sawn shingles and split shakes, and it is the traditional choice on many older houses.

Weather: holds up when it can shed water and dry, and rots where water sits: board ends near soil and roofs, sills, failed caulk joints.
Installation: light and easy to repair a piece at a time, which suits older and historic houses.
Upkeep: paint or stain needs renewing, or the wood is left to weather. Woodpecker holes need patching.
Cost: no dependable published source was found, so none is given here.

What matters more than the material?

The details behind and around the siding decide how any of them performs in a wet climate:

A continuous water-resistive barrier over the wall (section R703.2 of the 2023 Oregon Residential Specialty Code).
A drainage gap of at least 1/8 inch behind the siding by default, or an approved exception such as a drainage-enhanced barrier (R703.1.1).
Kickout flashing where a lower roof edge meets a wall (R703.4), and flashing at every window and door.
Clearances from soil, decks and roofs, as each maker specifies.
Paint and caulk applied within product limits. Sherwin-Williams lists a minimum of 35°F and a surface at least 5°F above the dew point for its Duration exterior paint.

A 2026 edition of the Oregon code took effect on October 1, 2026, and either edition may be used until April 1, 2027, so ask which edition a job is built to.

When is the best time to install siding in Salem?

June through September, when rain is lightest and painting conditions are easiest to meet. Siding can go on in the wet months with the wall protected as work goes, but finishing may have to wait for suitable weather. If you are replacing siding in spring, getting quotes early leaves room for any permit, or for historic design review on a historic Salem property, before the dry season starts.

Whatever you lean toward, the walls themselves decide what suits the house. Request a siding quote, say which materials you are weighing, and we will follow up.

This page is general information, not professional advice about your specific situation. Have it assessed by a qualified professional before making decisions. Last reviewed October 4, 2026.