Title 25, Public Lands

(1) The Department of State Lands upon application by any person may permit geological, geophysical and seismic surveys, including the taking of cores and other samples for purposes related to exploration for oil, gas and sulfur on lands subject to ORS 274.705 to 274.860. However…

(1) Upon compliance of an applicant with ORS 274.735, the Department of State Lands may issue to the applicant a permit to conduct a geological, geophysical and seismic survey, including the taking of cores and other samples, in areas of the lands subject to ORS 274.705 to 274.86…

(1) Records of drilling conducted by a permittee under ORS 274.740 shall be filed by the permittee with the State Department of Geology and Mineral Industries as prescribed by ORS 520.095. (2) The Department of State Lands may require, as a condition to the issuance of any lease …

(1) Before granting any easement under ORS 274.705 to 274.860, and before offering lands for leasing under ORS 274.705 to 274.860, or whenever any person files a written application with the Department of State Lands requesting that an easement be granted for such lands or that s…

After the public hearing the Department of State Lands shall determine whether the granting of an easement or an invitation for bidding to lease the area under consideration would be in the public interest. In such determination the department shall consider whether an easement o…

(1) The Department of State Lands may offer to lease lands subject to ORS 274.705 to 274.860 by publication of a notice of its intention to do so, once each week for not less than two weeks in two or more newspapers of general circulation in this state, one of which is published …

In leasing lands subject to ORS 274.705 to 274.860, the Department of State Lands may not discriminate between bidders by requiring drilling from: (1) Upland or littoral drill sites; (2) Sites on filled land, whether contiguous or noncontiguous to the littoral lands or uplands; o…

(1) The form of lease shall contain, in addition to other provisions deemed necessary and desirable by the Department of State Lands, after consultation with the State Department of Geology and Mineral Industries, the State Fish and Wildlife Commission and other interested agenci…

(1) The lease shall grant the exclusive right to drill for and produce all oil, gas and sulfur deposits in the leased land and be for a primary term of 10 years and for so long thereafter as oil, gas or sulfur is produced in paying quantities from the leased land, or lessee is di…

(1) The Department of State Lands shall specify in the notice described by ORS 274.765 and in the lease the rate of royalty paid under such lease which royalty shall not be less than 12-1/2 percent of gross production, or the value thereof, produced and saved from the leased land…

The Department of State Lands shall specify a rental payable annually in advance of not less than 50 cents for each acre of land subject to the lease at the rental date. After production has been established, rent paid shall be deducted from any royalty due under the terms of a l…

Sufficient bonding requirements, as determined by the Department of Geology and Mineral Industries, shall be specified to secure to the State of Oregon performance and the faithful compliance by the lessee with the terms of the lease, and further to secure adjacent landowners and…

Unless otherwise determined by the Department of State Lands, each well drilled pursuant to the terms of the lease may be drilled or slant drilled to and into the subsurface of the lands covered by the lease from upland or littoral drill sites owned or controlled by the state or …

Subject to the lessee’s right to surrender, the lessee shall commence operations for the drilling of a well within five years from date of the lease and commence production within three years of discovery of oil, gas or sulfur in paying quantities, unless the Department of State …

If the lessee, as disclosed by information submitted with the bid of the lessee, proposes to drill one or more wells from filled land, whether contiguous or noncontiguous to the littoral lands or uplands, or from any pier or from platforms or other fixed or floating structures to…

(1) Avoidable pollution or avoidable contamination of the ocean and of the waters covering lands subject to ORS 274.705 to 274.860, avoidable pollution or avoidable contamination of the beaches or land underlying the ocean or waters covering lands subject to ORS 274.705 to 274.86…

The State of Oregon reserves the right to permit reasonable nonconflicting uses, including seismic surveys but excluding core hole drilling, on lands under lease as long as: (1) Such uses do not unreasonably impair or interfere with operations of the lessee; and (2) Requirement i…

The lessee shall at all times proceed with due diligence to protect the leasehold from drainage by wells on lands not owned by the state. [1961 c.619 §23]

It shall be a continuing condition of such lease that the lessee shall conform to all applicable laws of the State of Oregon and all duly promulgated rules and regulations pursuant thereto in effect at the date of the invitation for bids in pursuance of which the lease was awarde…

In the event production on the leasehold shall cease at any time or from time to time, before or after the expiration of the primary term of the lease, the lease shall nevertheless continue in full force and effect if the lessee shall, within six months after the cessation of pro…

The lessee may at any time file with the Department of State Lands a written surrender of all rights under the lease or any portion thereof or any separate or distinct zone or geological horizon or any portion thereof. Such surrender shall be effective as of the date of its filin…

The Department of State Lands shall reserve and may exercise the authority to cancel any lease upon which oil, gas or sulfur has not been discovered in paying quantities, upon failure of the lessee after 30 days’ written notice and demand for performance to exercise due diligence…

Upon any partial or total termination, surrender or forfeiture of its permit or lease, the Department of State Lands may require that the permittee or lessee, within a reasonable time, restore that portion of the premises that is visible at extreme low tide to substantially its o…

Under a lease entered into by the Department of State Lands pursuant to ORS 274.705 to 274.860, the fill constituting filled lands may be retained in place or protected by bulkheads, seawalls, revetments or similar enclosures and may be placed at any location approved by the Depa…

As used in ORS 274.870 to 274.879: (1) “Commercial operation” means a project undertaken to generate ocean renewable energy for a purposes other than research, demonstration or personal use and that has financial profit as a goal. (2) “Ocean renewable energy” means electricity th…

(1) A person may not construct or operate an ocean renewable energy facility within Oregon’s territorial sea without a proprietary authorization issued by the Department of State Lands and as provided by the department by rule, or in a manner contrary to the conditions set out in…

(1) Acting subject to the approval of the State Land Board and in compliance with ORS chapter 183, the Director of the Department of State Lands shall adopt rules necessary to implement the provisions of ORS 274.870 to 274.879. Rules adopted under this section must include but ne…

(1) An owner or operator of an ocean renewable energy facility shall maintain cost estimates of the amount of financial assurance that is necessary, and demonstrate evidence of financial assurance, for: (a) The costs of closure and post-closure maintenance of the facility, exclud…

The Department of State Lands may lease submerged lands owned by the State of Oregon for the purpose of harvesting kelp and other seaweed after consultation with the State Fish and Wildlife Commission. [Formerly 274.010; 1967 c.421 §172; 1993 c.298 §1; 2011 c.713 §4]

The first lease issued to an applicant under ORS 274.885 to 274.895 with respect to any submerged lands may allow the applicant six months in which to make a practical survey of the field which the applicant has leased, and another 12 months in which to erect a plant and commence…

Except in the case of a person harvesting or removing less than 2,000 pounds of wet kelp each year for the purposes of human consumption for the person’s personal use, a person may not harvest or remove any kelp or other seaweed from any submerged lands owned by the State of Oreg…

As used in ORS 274.905 to 274.940, unless the context requires otherwise: (1)(a) “Historically filled lands” means those lands protruding above the line of ordinary high water, whether or not connected with the adjoining or opposite upland or riparian lands on the same side of th…

(1) ORS 274.905 to 274.940 do not apply to submersible, submerged or new lands fronting upon the Pacific Ocean. (2) Nothing contained in ORS 274.905 to 274.940 shall divest the State of Oregon of its rights to minerals, oil, gas and sulfur. [1963 c.376 §§2,9; 1967 c.421 §176; 201…

(1) Except as otherwise provided in ORS 274.905 to 274.940, the Department of State Lands may sell, lease or trade submersible or submerged lands owned by the state in the same manner as provided for submersible lands in this chapter or ORS chapter 273. (2) Except as otherwise pr…

No one other than the United States, while engaged in the promotion of navigation, shall artificially create new lands by fill or deposit upon submersible or submerged lands without the approval of the owner of such lands and the owner of the adjoining or opposite upland on the s…

(1) Whenever the United States, while engaged in the promotion of navigation, creates new lands upon submersible or submerged lands owned by the state and the adjoining or opposite upland or riparian land on the same side of the body of water is owned by a public body, the public…

(1) Whenever the United States, while engaged in the promotion of navigation, creates new lands upon submersible or submerged lands owned by the state and the adjoining or opposite upland or riparian land on the same side of the body of water is owned by other than a public body,…

(1) Whenever a public body, in accordance with ORS 274.920, creates new lands upon submersible or submerged lands owned by the state, the public body has the right to purchase the new lands as provided in this section. The public body shall pay to the Department of State Lands fo…

Whenever new lands are created upon submersible or submerged lands owned by other than a public body, such new lands shall be owned by the owner of the submersible or submerged lands upon which the new lands are created. [1963 c.376 §8]

(1) Whenever an individual, in accordance with ORS 274.920, creates new lands upon submersible or submerged lands owned by the state, such individual has the right to purchase the new lands as provided in this section. The individual shall pay to the Department of State Lands for…

(1) Notwithstanding any contrary provision of ORS 274.905 to 274.940, the Department of State Lands may reserve historically filled lands or new lands from sale, transfer or lease where upon notice and hearing the department determines that the public interest requires the lands …

(1) The Department of Land Conservation and Development shall receive, consolidate and organize the public records of federal, state or local government, special government bodies or other public bodies related to shellfish mariculture in this state. The department shall establis…

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, the State Land Board may not in any manner assert title to historically filled lands, or assert a right to minerals or geothermal resources in the historically filled lands, unless, prior to December 31, 2025: (a) The boar…

(1)(a) The State Land Board shall direct the Department of State Lands to determine whether any interest remains or is vested in the State of Oregon with respect to historically filled lands, as defined in ORS 274.905, in: (A) Waterways of the state subject to tidal influence; (B…

(1) Upon the adoption of a final report by the State Land Board under ORS 274.952, the board shall declare the nature and extent of the state’s claim to any interest that remains or is vested in the State of Oregon with respect to historically filled lands described in the report…

Immediately following a declaration made by the State Land Board pursuant to ORS 274.954, the board shall: (1) Cause reasonable public notice of the declaration to be given to interested parties. The notice shall describe the land or waterway affected and the nature and extent of…