Personal jurisdiction is the authority a court has to make legally enforceable orders related to a person or entity and the property of the person or entity, and usually arises when a person has been sued in a lawsuit. For a court to have personal jurisdiction, the person or entity generally (1) must be a resident of the state in which the court is located; (2) as a nonresident, must have initiated sufficient minimum contacts with the state in which the lawsuit is filed; or (3) must have agreed to be governed by the laws of the state (in a contract or website terms) in which the lawsuit is filed.

In Oregon, as in other states, personal jurisdiction refers to a court's power to bring a person or entity into its court process and to make decisions affecting that person or entity's rights. For an Oregon court to establish personal jurisdiction, the defendant must typically have a connection to the state. This can be established if the defendant is a resident of Oregon or if the nonresident defendant has sufficient minimum contacts with Oregon, such as conducting business in the state or causing an event to occur in the state that gave rise to the litigation. Additionally, a person or entity can consent to Oregon's jurisdiction through contractual agreements, such as including a provision in a contract or agreeing to terms on a website that specify Oregon law will govern disputes. Oregon's statutes and case law align with the federal standard set by the U.S. Supreme Court, which requires that exercising jurisdiction must not violate traditional notions of fair play and substantial justice.