Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Recording Fees topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate passes bill removing $10 cap so counties can fund public land corner preservation
Summary
House Bill 31‑75 removes a $10 statutory cap on a recording fee counties may impose for a public land corner preservation fund and allows counties to set the fee by resolution after public hearing.
The Senate on May 7 passed House Bill 31‑75, which removes a statutory $10 cap on a document recording fee counties may establish to fund public land corner preservation work and deposits those fees into a county public land corner preservation fund.
Sponsor Senator Thatcher explained the public land survey system is the foundation for property boundaries across Oregon and that county surveyors must reestablish and maintain survey corners, often by locating monuments and installing brass discs or pipes. Thatcher said the 1985 cap has lost buying power and that counties, through their elected boards and after public notice and hearing, should be able to set fees that match local preservation needs. "That fee in 1985 was capped at $10. And as you can imagine, that doesn't buy much these days," Thatcher said on the floor.
The bill preserves a procedural safeguard: counties must provide public notice and hold a hearing before adopting or changing the fee, and revenues may be spent only for authorized public land corner work as directed by the county surveyor. Supporters said the change gives local elected officials discretion to set a fee appropriate to their county’s needs rather than imposing a statewide cap.
Following brief floor discussion, the bill passed on third reading and was declared passed by constitutional majority. Sponsors emphasized the money is dedicated to preserving the public land survey system to support land development, reduce property boundary disputes and improve GIS accuracy for 9‑1‑1 and wildfire response.
