Title 25, Public Lands

Any individual who is 18 years of age or older and who is a citizen of the United States, or has declared an intention to become a citizen, may apply to purchase state lands. [1967 c.421 §51 (enacted in lieu of 273.030)]

An individual eligible under ORS 273.255 may file an application with the Director of the Department of State Lands for the purchase of state lands other than farmlands. The application must be made in a form prescribed by the Department of State Lands, contain a correct and prec…

(1) If application is made for the purchase of submersible lands, the applicant must cause such lands to be surveyed at the expense of the applicant by a surveyor, whose selection is subject to prior approval by the Department of State Lands. The survey must connect with and conf…

Except as limited by ORS 270.020 and 273.225 to 273.241 and 274.040, and as in its judgment the interests of the state demand, the Department of State Lands: (1) Shall fix the price at which all classes of state lands may be sold and the interest to be charged on deferred payment…

The Department of State Lands shall require applicants for the purchase of submersible lands to pay in full for such lands at the time of purchase. Applicants for the purchase of school, agricultural college, university, swamp or indemnity lands shall make payments at such times,…

(1) When an applicant to purchase state lands desires to make payments in installments as provided in ORS 273.281, the Department of State Lands shall, upon receipt of one-fifth of the purchase price of the land applied for, deliver to the purchaser a certificate that the purchas…

If any installment of the purchase price of land, principal or interest, remains unpaid for one year after the same becomes due, the certificate issued under ORS 273.285 shall be canceled by order of the Department of State Lands. All payments thereon shall be forfeited and the l…

All assignments of certificates of sale shall be executed and acknowledged in the same manner as a deed to real estate. The assignee, upon full payment of the amount due on the purchase price, and delivery to the Department of State Lands of such certificate and assignment, shall…

Whenever any purchaser of state lands holding a certificate of sale therefor has paid three-fifths or more of the purchase price thereof, the Director of the Department of State Lands may execute a deed conveying the lands to such purchaser, upon the purchaser’s executing: (1) A …

(1) Upon full payment of the purchase price and any accrued interest thereon the Director of the Department of State Lands shall execute a deed to the purchaser in a form prescribed by the rules of the Department of State Lands. (2) The department shall maintain appropriate recor…

(1) In all cases where clerical errors have been made in deeds for any state lands sold, upon satisfactory proof and if the rights of innocent parties have not intervened, the Director of the Department of State Lands may execute corrected deeds to the holders thereof. (2) Where …

(1) The Department of State Lands may exchange any state lands under its control for any other lands in this state for the purpose of accumulating larger and contiguous tracts of state lands. The department may enter into the necessary contracts to accomplish such purposes, subje…

(1) Before exchanging any state lands for other lands under ORS 273.316, the Department of State Lands shall give notice to the lessees of those state lands considered for exchange by sending by certified or registered mail a notice containing a general description of the state l…

In all cases where the Department of State Lands believes that any lands were acquired from the state by fraud or in violation of the laws relating to the disposal thereof, it may: (1) Enter into contracts with the persons asserting ownership thereto for the subdivision and sale …

When lands that the Department of State Lands believes were acquired from the State of Oregon by fraud or in violation of the laws of the state are held by any person owning other lands the title to which is not involved, the department may provide as a condition to the contract …

The object of ORS 273.340 and 273.345 is to make available for settlement and development the lands to which the State of Oregon is entitled as indemnity and the remaining unsold state lands, and to make available for the Common School Fund the proceeds from the sale of such land…

The Department of State Lands shall ascertain the amount of indemnity lands to which the State of Oregon is entitled from the federal government and procure such lands in as large and contiguous tracts as practicable, having in view its adaptability for agriculture or its value f…

Before making selections under ORS 273.340, the Department of State Lands shall determine the advisability of making such selections in large and contiguous tracts within the national forest reserves. If it is found that such selections will be advantageous to the State of Oregon…

(1) The Director of the Department of State Lands shall: (a) Select as indemnity lands such vacant government lands as may be applied for by legal applicants, upon receipt of their applications to purchase, together with the nonmineral affidavit and filing fees, as required by th…

As used in ORS 273.356 to 273.375, unless the context requires otherwise, “grantee” includes the successor in interest of a grantee. [Derived from 1967 c.422 §1]

Upon the execution and delivery to the Department of State Lands by any grantee to whom the State Land Board prior to February 21, 1916, erroneously conveyed various parcels of land in sections 16 and 36 to which the title of the state was found by the board to be defective, of a…

(1) A refund is not available under ORS 273.356 to 273.375 to any grantee who received from the State Land Board a refund or other settlement with respect to such lands before June 19, 1967, or who may be holding title originally procured or subsequently conveyed by false swearin…

If the Department of State Lands finds that the property erroneously conveyed has been identified generally as private property, as evidenced by the inclusion of the property on the assessment rolls of the county in which it is located for a period of 20 years or more immediately…

In lieu of the procedure set out in ORS 273.360, 273.365 and 273.370, the Department of State Lands may acquire for the use and benefit of the State of Oregon, by purchase or exchange, the interest of any applicant to whom the certificate described in ORS 273.620 (3) (1965 Replac…

(1) The Department of State Lands may dispose of isolated sections and fragments of sections of state lands which are not suitable for management according to long-range policies of the State Land Board. The proceeds of such sales shall be applied and are continuously appropriate…

If any property owned by the state is held as an asset of any special trust fund securing the payment of bonds, it may be exchanged, under the authority granted in ORS 270.110, for other property of equal or superior value, and property so received in exchange shall be an asset o…

The state hereby is granted express power to relinquish the title to any of its property not needed for public use to the United States Government or any other governmental body or political subdivision within the state, providing such property shall be used and continue to be us…

(1) When property is exchanged under the authority of ORS 270.100, 270.110 and 270.130, the value of the real property accepted by the state in exchange for any of its property plus cash, if any, shall not be less than the value of the property relinquished by the state. The prov…

(1) The value of the respective properties proposed to be exchanged shall be determined by the state agency, board or commission which has supervision and direction of the department or activity of the state for which such property is held or belongs, and if there be no such agen…

Every lease entered into pursuant to ORS 270.110 shall be authorized by order of the state agency executing the same and shall provide such terms and conditions as may be fixed and determined by the governmental body executing the same. Any such lease may provide that the lessee …

(1) Any agency of the State of Oregon may donate to any person, firm or corporation selected by such governmental body, conditionally or otherwise, for industrial or manufacturing purposes, or both, and purposes incidental thereto, any real property owned by the governmental body…

The Department of State Lands is hereby authorized to sell, convey, lease or exchange any or all state lands chiefly suitable for grazing, to or with Oregon counties, and with the United States of America for other lands either of equal acreage or of equal value. All powers herei…

The state or any state agency occupying a street or public property of a political subdivision by any structure above, on or under the surface, may provide a contract of indemnity to protect the other political subdivision against loss or damage resulting from such occupancy. [19…

If the state holds the easement or fee title to a street or highway, the state may lease the space above or below that street or highway for private purposes for such period as the controlling state agency determines the space will not be needed for public purposes, and upon such…

As used in ORS 273.462 to 273.464: (1) “State agency” means an agency of the executive department, as defined in ORS 174.112, or a public university listed in ORS 352.002. (2) “Tribe” means a federally recognized Indian tribe in Oregon. (3) “Trust lands” means state land: (a) Gra…

It shall be the policy of the State of Oregon to: (1) Identify, as appropriate, trust lands under the jurisdiction of the State Land Board that, due to management or regulatory impediments, have limited performance potential as assets of the Common School Fund; and (2) Transfer t…

(1) The State Land Board may identify tracts of trust lands under the board’s jurisdiction that have limited performance potential as assets of the Common School Fund and submit to the Legislative Assembly proposals to transfer the identified tracts of trust lands to another stat…

(1) As used in this section: (a) “Public access site” means a site on state public lands where the public may access the lands for recreational use of a floatable natural waterway. (b) “State public lands” means any land, or improvements thereon, owned by the State of Oregon. (2)…

The object of ORS 273.511 is to ascertain and determine the title of the State of Oregon to the beds of shallow and dry lakes and the lands around lakes exposed to reliction or otherwise. [1967 c.421 §76]

The Department of State Lands shall ascertain the amount of land to which it is entitled under the Acts of Congress relative to submersible and swamp lands, acquire title thereto and enter into contracts for drainage and reclamation in order that the lands may be available for de…

As used in ORS 273.522 to 273.541, “forest products” has the meaning given that term in ORS 532.010. [1997 c.117 §2]

The Department of State Lands may sell and dispose of the forest products on lands of the State of Oregon that have not been designated Common School Forest Lands under ORS 530.460, regardless of acreage and in such quantities to each purchaser as the department shall prescribe. …

(1) Before offering any forest products for sale under ORS 273.523, the Department of State Lands shall cause the forest products to be appraised in a manner that it considers appropriate. (2) Prior to sale of forest products with an appraised value greater than $25,000, notice t…

When more than one bid has been received, or in case of doubt as to which of a number of bids is the highest and most advantageous for the state, the decision of the Department of State Lands is conclusive and not subject to review by the courts. [Formerly 273.315]

Bond or other security requirements for the sale of forest products by the Department of State Lands and provisions for the return of those bonds or securities to a purchaser shall correspond to the bond or other security requirements and provisions for the return of bonds or sec…

All documents required in carrying out ORS 273.522 to 273.541 shall be executed by the Director of the Department of State Lands, and all bonds, contracts and other instruments required by ORS 273.522 to 273.541 for the protection of the interests of the state shall be delivered …

(1) The Department of State Lands, as to any land or mineral and geothermal resource rights subject to its jurisdiction and control and without restricting, limiting or repealing any other powers and authority which it has, after consultation with the State Department of Geology …

(1) It is the policy of the State of Oregon to maintain an estuarine research reserve in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The estuarine research reserve management area includes: (a) Lands acquired as the South Slough Estuary Sanctuary pursuan…

(1) For the purpose of providing for the administration of the estuarine research reserve management area in a manner consistent with the provisions of ORS 273.553, there is created the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve Management Commission. The commission shall h…

(1) The South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve Management Account is established within the Common School Fund. Except for moneys otherwise designated by statute, all moneys received by the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve Management Commission shall be …