Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 274 § 274.440 — Acquisition of future rights to meandered lakes denied; extension of riparian

Acquisition of future rights to meandered lakes denied; extension of riparian ownership; lands overflowed by high water. (1) There are no vested rights in or to any future accretion or reliction to the lands of any upland or riparian owner on any meandered lake. No person shall acquire any right, title or interest in or to the submerged or submersible lands of any such lakes, or any part thereof, by reliction, accretion or otherwise, or by reason of the lowering or drainage of the waters of such lakes, except as provided by statute. (2) Upon drainage of meandered lakes, the title of owners of land riparian to such lakes drained under any law shall extend to so much of the submersible and submerged lands reclaimed by such drainage as is required to fill out the least fractional subdivision or subdivisions of any section owned by such riparian owners and which is rendered fractional by the meander line of such lake; and the title of such owners shall be so limited when the receding lake waters, because of such drainage, uncover the submersible and submerged lands. Where by reason of natural accretion or reliction such fractional subdivision or subdivisions of such upland owners were filled out thereby prior to May 25, 1921, such upland owners shall hold to the line of such lands as extended by the natural accretion or reliction. (3) Submersible and submerged lands covered at ordinary high water at ordinarily recurring seasons by the waters of meandered lakes, or from which the waters of any such lakes have not at ordinarily high water permanently receded, are not considered to be accreted or relicted lands, but the same and all accretions and relictions occurring or formed over any of the lands of the State of Oregon, as provided by ORS 274.430, are the property of the State of Oregon, and may be by it leased, sold or managed in the manner provided by law. [Amended by 1967 c.421 §133]