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Wasco County raises public‑land corner fee after state cap lifted, waives charge for death certificates
Summary
After House Bill 3175 removed a $10 cap, Wasco County adopted Ordinance 26‑001 to modernize the Public Land Corner Preservation Fund and authorized a proposed fee increase (staff recommended $28) to pay for remonumentation; the Board also approved a waiver of the fee for recorded death certificates.
Wasco County commissioners on March 18 adopted Ordinance 26‑001 to replace the county's existing Land Corner Preservation Fund ordinance after the legislature lifted a decades‑old $10 statutory cap.
County Surveyor Brad Cross told the Board the county manages more than 1,300 recorded public land corners and that remonumentation and recovery are labor‑intensive. Cross said the office's current workload and an updated intergovernmental staffing agreement make a sustainable fee necessary. "A single corner can take many hours of staff time to research, restore/maintain and document — typically costing $2,000 or more," Cross said.
Cross said House Bill 3175 (effective Jan. 1, 2026) returned fee‑setting authority to counties and allowed Wasco County to set a fee that reflects modern costs. Staff proposed increasing the fee to $28 per recording to cover an expanded work program and to avoid depleting the fund. County Clerk Chrissy Zaugg supported the increase but asked the Board to exempt recorded death certificates from the charge on equitable grounds; she noted that in 2025 only 93 death certificates were recorded out of more than 3,000 recording documents and argued the exemption would reduce burdens on bereaved families.
Commissioner Jeffrey Justesen moved to adopt the replacement ordinance and to waive the Public Land Corner Preservation Fund fee for recorded death certificates; Vice Chair Philip Brady seconded and the motion passed unanimously. The ordinance requires monthly deposit of collected fees into the preservation account and restricts spending to corner establishment, re‑establishment and maintenance as authorized by the County Surveyor. The ordinance text specifies it will take effect 90 days after second reading and adoption to allow administrative changes to Clerk systems.
County staff said they will update the Clerk's fee schedule and notify recording customers when the new fee is implemented. Cross and his staff plan to use the additional revenue to fund a more robust remonumentation program, including a dedicated survey technician and field work to protect historic corner monuments.
