The people of Oregon are the owners of the submerged and submersible land underlying all navigable and tidally-influenced waters. In most cases, this ownership, which was granted by the federal government when Oregon became a state, extends to the line of ordinary high water or high tide.

The State of Oregon, through the State Land Board and Department of State Lands, owns and manages the submerged and submersible waterway land under the territorial sea (i.e., ocean-ward to the three mile limit), tidally influenced land, and the non-tidally influenced beds and banks of twelve waterways and a number of lakes in the state.

The Land Management Division is responsible for most of the day-to-day management of publicly owned submerged and submersible land. The revenue from leases and authorizations for waterway uses, such as marinas, docks, floating homes and wharfs, is deposited into the Common School Fund to benefit K-12 public schools throughout the state.

Click here for information about waterway navigability and the public use of Oregon's rivers and lakes.