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Department of State Lands > Web site
The State Lands Building in Salem houses the central offices of the Department of State Lands. (Oregon State Archives Photo)
Present Duties
The Department of State Lands, one of Oregon’s oldest agencies, manages more than 630,000 acres of grazing and agricultural land; 104,300 acres of forest land; 6,900 acres of industrial, commercial and residential land; and 800,000 acres of off-shore land, estuarine tidelands, and submerged and submersible lands of the state’s extensive navigable waterway system. The agency also manages 3 million acres of mineral rights owned by other state agencies. Proceeds from management of lands and waterways and other activities become part of the Common School Fund principal. The fund’s market value was $812 million as of June, 2009. Earnings from fund investments are distributed semi-annually to school districts through the Department of Education.
The Department of State Lands also provides other public services. It administers the state’s removal-fill law, which protects Oregon’s waterways and wetlands from uncontrolled alteration. Under the Unclaimed Property Act, the department director serves as trust agent for “abandoned funds” such as bank accounts and uncashed checks. Additionally, Oregon’s probate law designates the director as representative for the estate of a deceased person with no will nor known heirs.
Other department responsibilities include leasing state-owned mineral rights for exploration and production of oil, gas, hard minerals and geo-thermal energy; providing opportunities to lease or buy state land; maintenance of historical records related to early land transactions; performance of administrative functions for the Natural Heritage Advisory Council; management oversight for the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve; oversight for protection and maintenance of Oregon’s wetlands; and management of coastal resources seaward of the mean high tide line.
Agency Subdivisions
Information about this agency's divisions, offices, programs, etc.
Contact Information
Mailing Address: 775 Summer St. NE, Salem 97301-1279
Telephone: 503-986-5200
Fax: 503-378-4844
General E-mail: dsl@dsl.state.or.us
Contact: Louise Solliday, Director
Administrative Rules Coordinator E-mail: Christopher Castelli
Records Officer E-mail: Gail Lowry
Staff Directory from Oregon.gov
Location Map: by Yahoo! Maps
Legal and Legislative Information
Statutory Authority: ORS Chapter 273
Natural Resources Budget Analysis (pdf) - by Legislative Fiscal Office
Audit Reports - select agency from menu
Records, Publications and General Information
Agency History (pdf) - a detailed history of the agency
Records Retention Schedule (pdf) - a list of the public records kept at the agency
State Archives Holdings - a select list of the agency's records available for research at the State Archives
State Library Publications - a link to the Oregon State Library Catalog