Title 25, Public Lands

All real or personal estate conveyed by any form of conveyance, and duly acknowledged and recorded, to the inhabitants of any county, or to the county treasurer, or to any committee or other persons for the use of such county, shall be deemed the property of such county. All such…

The rights of any county to public lands are not extinguished by adverse possession. No title or property rights to public lands shall be acquired against the county through operation of a statute of limitations. [1981 c.153 §51]

(1) Except as otherwise provided by statute, the county governing body may, whenever it deems it to the best interest of the county so to do, sell and convey, in the manner provided for sale of county land under ORS 275.120, 275.140 to 275.160 and 275.180 to 275.260, any real est…

The conveyance transferring the real estate sold pursuant to ORS 275.030 to the purchaser thereof shall contain the date of the order authorizing such sale and the page and journal where the order is entered. The conveyance shall be signed by the county judge or the chairperson o…

(1) Except as otherwise provided by statute, the governing body of a county may exchange county land of any character, which has first been offered for sale but not sold for want of a satisfactory bid, for other lands of equal value to which the owner thereof can give clear title…

(1) Any county governing body may grant an option to purchase, contract to sell, sell and convey, or donate any real property owned by the county, including real property acquired pursuant to tax foreclosure proceedings, at such price and on such terms as the county governing bod…

(1) The governing body of a county may sell in the manner provided for sale of county land under ORS 275.120, 275.140 to 275.160 and 275.180 to 275.260, and convey to any person or corporation impounding and selling water to the public, any lands acquired by such county through f…

(1) As used in this section: (a) “Actual conflict of interest” has the meaning given that term under ORS 244.020. (b) “Bona fide purchaser” means a purchaser of a fee simple interest in a single property who acquires the property in an arm’s-length transaction and for fair market…

The governing body of each county shall have the following powers and duties with respect to all lands acquired by the county by foreclosure of delinquent tax liens, or by exchange, devise or gift: (1) To protect such lands from fire, disease and insect pests, to cooperate with t…

If any county has bid in and acquired for taxes and has received a deed for not less than 90 percent of the number of the lots in any addition or subdivision or plat, and if it considers it wise so to do, the governing body of the county shall, by order duly made and entered, aut…

(1) When the governing body of a county considers it to be for the best interests of the county to sell any real property acquired in any manner by such county, or any interest therein less than the whole fee, it shall enter an order upon its records directing the sheriff to make…

(1) Upon receipt of a certified copy of the order referred to in ORS 275.110, the sheriff shall publish a notice of the sale of such property in a newspaper of general circulation, printed and published in the county where the land is situated, once each week for four consecutive…

Prior to the date set for the sale of property as indicated in the notice of sale required under ORS 275.120, a municipal corporation may file with the county clerk notice that the municipal corporation has a lien arising out of an assessment for local improvement against the pro…

All sales shall be made in the county in which the land is situated between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and may be adjourned from day to day for not to exceed 30 days by the sheriff, by public announcement made by the sheriff at the time and place designated in the notice of…

At the time of sale, the sheriff shall give to each purchaser a certificate containing a particular description of the property sold, the whole purchase price, the amount paid in cash and the dates upon which future payments will become due. [Amended by 1997 c.805 §4]

Upon the close of such sale, the sheriff shall make due return to the governing body of the county of the proceedings of the sheriff pursuant to the commands of such order of sale. [Amended by 2005 c.243 §16]

(1) The governing body of a county may at any time, without the publication of any notice, sell and convey by deed to the record owner or the contract purchaser of record, any property acquired by the county for delinquent taxes for not less than the amount of taxes and interest …

(1) As used in ORS 275.110 to 275.250, “purchase agreement” means a purchase money mortgage, a purchase money trust deed, a land sale contract or any other written purchase agreement other than an earnest money agreement that requires payment of an earnest money deposit upon exec…

(1) Sales made under ORS 275.110 to 275.250 must be to the highest and best bidder: (a) For cash; or (b) For not less than 10 percent of the purchase price in cash with the remainder to be paid under a purchase agreement in equal installments over a term not exceeding 20 years fr…

(1) When the governing body of a county enters an order under ORS 275.110 directing the sheriff to sell real property acquired in any manner by the county, if all or a part of the land remains unsold after the time set for the sale in the sheriff’s published notice or after adjou…

(1) A purchase agreement made pursuant to ORS 275.190 or 275.200 must be filed with the clerk, accountant or secretary, as the case may be, of the county in which the real property is situated. (2) An assignment of a purchase agreement, or of an interest in the purchase agreement…

(1) In case of breach of condition or other default in performance of a land sale contract made pursuant to ORS 275.190 or 275.200, the governing body of a county may, by order made and entered in its records, declare the breach or default and cancel the land sale contract or ent…

(1) Notwithstanding ORS 275.110 to 275.220, the governing body of a county may authorize the sale of county land by private sale as provided in this section if each parcel of county land to be sold: (a) Has a real market value of less than $15,000 on the assessment roll prepared …

Land sold under a purchase agreement in accordance with ORS 275.190 (1) is subject to taxation to the same extent as other privately owned real property. When a purchase agreement is canceled, as provided in ORS 275.220, the real property must be removed from taxation and all tax…

Upon any sale or resale as provided in ORS 275.110 to 275.220, the governing body of the county shall notify the county assessor thereof. [Amended by 2005 c.243 §18]

No claim shall ever be allowed against the county in favor of any municipal corporation, school district, road district or other taxing district for taxes levied on the property heretofore or hereafter acquired by any county by foreclosure of delinquent taxes or otherwise under O…

(1) The proceeds arising under ORS 275.090 to 275.290 and 275.296 to 275.310 must be: (a) First, applied to refund the county general fund for the full amount actually paid by the county to advance the state tax upon all properties upon which the county has foreclosed liens for d…

(1) In any instrument of conveyance or agreement for conveyance of timber upon lands acquired by any county by foreclosure of delinquent tax liens or otherwise under ORS 275.090 to 275.220, the governing body of the county may provide such conditions and regulations of cutting an…

(1) Nothing contained in this chapter shall prohibit the governing body of a county, whenever it appears to the best interest of the county, from making or executing a lease or conveyance granting rights to explore or prospect for valuable minerals or oil and gas and for the mini…

All leases and conveyances granting the right to explore or prospect for minerals or oil and gas and for the mining and removal of the same on or from county-owned lands, executed and delivered by the governing body of a county prior to August 3, 1955, and which might be invalid …

(1) In any sale hereafter made under ORS 275.110 to 275.250 of minerals or mineral rights heretofore reserved to a county where such minerals or mineral rights were acquired by a county by foreclosure of delinquent tax liens, the holder of an interest less than the fee in the sam…

In any conveyance or agreement for conveyance of any minerals, or other interest, less than the whole fee, in any lands acquired by any county by foreclosure of delinquent tax liens or otherwise under ORS 275.090 to 275.220, the governing body of the county may provide such condi…

Any county which has acquired or shall acquire an undivided interest in real property by foreclosure of delinquent tax liens, shall have the benefit of the statutes of this state providing for the partition of real property owned by tenants in common. Such county may become a pur…

Notwithstanding any other law, in any county where the surface rights to tax-foreclosed lands have been conveyed and the mineral rights on such lands have been reserved or excepted by the governing body of the county making such conveyance, upon written application of the owner o…

Each application presented to the governing body of the county under ORS 275.312 must be accompanied by evidence satisfactory to the governing body of the county showing that the applicant is the owner of the surface rights to the lands described in the application, and also by a…

(1) The county clerk shall give notice of the time and place of the hearing scheduled under ORS 275.314 by publication in a newspaper of general circulation published in such county, once each week for four consecutive weeks prior to the hearing. The notice shall set forth the ti…

(1) When the governing body of a county sells or leases real property acquired in any manner by the county, if that property is located in an area planned and zoned for industrial use under an acknowledged comprehensive plan of the county, the governing body may order all the mon…

The governing body of a county may, by order, designate as county forests, public parks or recreational areas any real property heretofore or hereafter acquired by the county for delinquent taxes or otherwise. Where the park or recreational area is situated in whole or in part wi…

(1) Upon the entry of an order by the governing body of a county setting aside the real property for county forest, public park or recreational area, the lands shall be set apart for such use. Thereafter such lands may not be alienated by the governing body of the county for any …

(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of ORS 275.330 or 275.340, the governing body of a county may provide for the exchange of land within a designated county forest for other land when in the judgment of the governing body of the county, supported as provided in subsection (3) of …

Nothing contained in ORS 275.320 and 275.330 shall prohibit the county governing body from selling the timber and other forest products or from leasing the right to prospect for and remove minerals or oil and gas in the manner stated in ORS 275.294 from the designated county fore…

Certified copies of all orders of the governing bodies of the several counties made under ORS 275.320 to 275.340 affecting the title or status of real property shall be recorded in the deed records of the county in which such lands are located. [Amended by 1981 c.126 §4; 1983 c.7…

All deeds and conveyances of the governing bodies of the several counties executed and delivered prior to January 1, 1941, conveying real property theretofore set aside by the governing bodies of the several counties as public parks and recreational areas under ORS 275.320 hereby…