Park Rules

Linn County Forest-Park System Code

If your questions are not answered here, we encourage you to call our office at (541) 967-3917

Park Hours: Day-use areas open dawn (30 minutes before sunrise) to dusk (30 minutes after sunset).

Quiet Hours: 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM

Director: All reference in this document to the “Director” means the County Parks and Recreation Director and any employee or designee thereof – LCC 610.010 (E).

610.600 Rules and regulations applicable

(A) The Director, an authorized Department employee, or any law enforcement officer may eject a person that violates a rule or regulation within this Chapter from any property within the forest-park system pursuant to LCC 610.630(c).

(B) The Director, an authorized Department employee, or any law enforcement officer may exclude a person that violates a rule or regulation within this Chapter from the forest-park system pursuant to LCC 610.630(D)-(H).

(C) It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation, in or upon any county forest, public park, or recreation area to violate any provision of LCC 610.610.

(D)A person prohibited from doing any act in LCC 610.610 includes the prohibition of allowing or permitting another person under that person's control or of encouraging any other person to commit the same prohibited conduct.

(E) The inclusion of county forests in the properties subject to the prohibitions set forth in LCC 610.610 does not permit authorization for a person to use a County forest in a recreational manner.

(F) Any person who violates any provision of LCC 610.610 may be cited and prosecuted pursuant to LCC Chapter 240 (Enforcement Code).

(G) Any remedy utilized in enforcing this Chapter shall not exclude, and may be combined with, any other remedy available under law.

 

610.610 Forest-park regulations

(A) Permits and payment of fees

  1. The permit fee paid by a person who has been ordered to leave a property in the forest-park system due to violating a rule or regulation within this Chapter, is subject to forfeiture by the Director.
  2. No person shall camp overnight, except in areas specifically designated as public campgrounds.
  3. No person shall park a pickup-mounted or truck-mounted camper, camp trailer, motor home, or other camp unit in places other than those provided and designated for such purposes unless the person has obtained a permit authorizing such use.
  4. No person shall engage in unlawful camping within the forest-park system.
  5. No person shall operate a concession, either fixed or mobile, solicit, sell or offer for sale, peddle, hawk, or vend any goods, wares, merchandise, foods, liquids, or services without written permission from the Director.
  6. The person registering for a campsite is responsible for adhering to all regulations of this Chapter affecting the campsite and for any violation of this Chapter with reference to the use or condition of the campsite occurring, during, or as a result of, occupancy under the permit, but this shall not be construed as a defense for any other person who actually caused or participated in causing the violation.
  7. No person shall occupy or use any area for which a permit is required without first obtaining a permit to occupy or use that area for the time of use.
  8. No person shall occupy any single campsite with more than eight persons. All tents and camping equipment must fit within the campsite. Director reserves the right to define the boundary area of a campsite.
  9. No person shall allow more vehicles or camp units in that person's campsite than is authorized on that person's permit. The Director reserved the right to define the number of vehicles or camp units appropriate for any individual campsite. One camp unit is allowed per campsite.
  10. No person shall fail to pay the required permit fee for any activity which requires a permit fee in the Linn County forest-park system.
  11. No person shall use a shower facility in the forest park-system without a valid camping permit.
  12. No person shall hold a special event within the forest-park system without first obtaining a permit from the Department for such use. Special events include, but are not limited to, an activity or use within the forest-park system that:
    1. Is an organized group activity or event attended by over 50 people;
    2. Uses a portion of a forest-park system to the exclusion of other persons or the Department;
    3. Modifies or embellishes forest-park system property, or places individual structures, such as tents, chairs, arches, and similar structures, on forest-park system property in a manner outside of normal recreational use, as determined by a Department manager or an enforcement officer;
    4. Uses public-address, amplification, or lighting systems, other than those designed for personal use;
    5. Charges money for participation or admission;
    6. Involves the sale of products or services;
    7. Could disturb the natural, cultural, scenic and recreational resources in the forest-park system property or adjacent areas;
    8. Could pose a safety or access concern for other forest-park system users or for those in-volved in the event or activity.

(B) Trespass, closures, and remaining after hours

  1. Except in areas specifically identified in LCC Chapter 610, no person shall stay overnight in the Linn County forest-park system
    1. more than 7 consecutive days without a prepaid reservation;
    2. more than 14 total days in any thirty-day period; or
    3. more than 60 total days in any 12 month period.
  2. After staying overnight in a Linn County campground for 14 total days in any thirty-day period, users are prohibited from any additional overnight stays in a Linn County campground for a period of thirty consecutive days.
  3. The Director shall identify up to ten campsites at Edgewater RV Park and Marina at which no person shall stay overnight
    1. more than 30 total days between May 1st and September 30th; and
    2. more than 180 total days between October 1st and April 30th.
  4. No person shall stay in any of the following Linn County camping area properties longer than 14 days in a thirty-day period:
    1. Whitcomb Creek Public Park.
    2. John Neal Memorial Public Park.
    3. Waterloo County Public Park.
    4. Sunnyside Public Park.
    5. River Bend Public Park.
    6. Clear Lake Resort.
  5. No person shall stay in the camping areas of the following properties longer than twenty-four (24) consecutive hours:
    1. Peoria Public Park.
    2. McCartney Recreation Area.
  6. No person shall fail to vacate a permitted site by checkout time.
  7. No person shall stay after posted closing hours, except upon prior written permission from the Director. Unless otherwise posted or designated for an event or activity, the hours of operation for a day-use area are dawn to dusk.
  8. No person shall remain in any forest, public park, or recreation area after being asked to leave by the Director or any law enforcement officer. If the person does not immediately leave with all personal belongings, the person is subject to ejection and/or exclusion under LCC 610.630.
  9. The Director or any law enforcement officer may refuse to admit, or order any person to leave, who has previously been ordered to leave any property in the forest-park system.
  10. No person may remain in an area closed or restricted pursuant to LCC 610.400 (B).
  11. No person under the age of 18 shall camp overnight unless accompanied and under the control at all times by an adult.
  12. No person shall fail to remove themselves from a park when ordered to evacuate a park. Such person failing to do so when ordered may be physically escorted off the property by park personnel and physically removed by law enforcement officials.

(C) Animals and pets

  1. No person shall leave a dog or pet unattended.
  2. No person shall fail to remove any animal from the forest-park system that has been deemed to be aggressive by the Director or other law enforcement officer.
  3. No person shall bring more than two pets into a Linn County Park.
  4. No person shall fail to keep all dogs or pets on a leash of six (6) feet in length or less, or kept in an adequately ventilated vehicle, or secured in an animal crate or carrier.
  5. No person shall allow any animal in the person's custody to annoy or molest any person or other pet.
  6. No person shall ride, drive, lead, or keep any livestock as that term is defined in LCC 560.110 anywhere in the forest-park system, unless the area is designated by the Director for such purposes, or the person has obtained written permission from the Director.
  7. No person shall in any manner, pursue, hunt, trap, or molest any bird or animal.
  8. All persons shall pick up and properly dispose of their domestic animal's waste while visiting a forest-park system.

(D) Fires

  1. No person shall build, light, or maintain any fire except in a stove, pit or fireplace especially designated for such purpose; provided, however, that a person may use a portable gas, gasoline, charcoal, or oil camp stove if the portable gas, gasoline, charcoal, or oil camp stove is in a safe operating condition and used in a manner so as to not start a fire.
  2. No person shall leave unattended any fire built, lighted, or maintained by himself.
  3. No person shall have a campfire when the Director has determined that campfires are not allowed.

(E) Destruction of Property, Facilities, and Natural Resources

  1. No person shall pick, mutilate, dig or remove any plant whether living or dead, or in any way deface, mutilate, burn, destroy or defile any tree or plant within the limits of such areas.
  2. No person shall alter, deface, mutilate or destroy any trail, road, parking lot, bridge, fence, building, sign, barrier, or other facility or structure.
  3. No person shall dig up or remove any soil, stones, rocks, or other substances what-ever, make any excavation, or lay or set off any blast or cause or assist therein.

(F) Visitor conduct

  1. No person shall discharge, set off, explode, or burn any fireworks, firearm, air, CO2, or spring-actuated rifle or pistol, slingshot, arrow, or other similar devices designed or used to propel a projectile, in or over any property in the Linn County forest-park system except in areas designated for such activity.
  2. No person shall fly or allow to be flown a self propelled aircraft, including but not limited to remote controlled model aircraft and drones, except in areas designated and identified for such purpose.
  3. No person shall throw rocks, sticks, or other objects, which may endanger the safety of any other person.
  4. No person shall dive, swim or engage in any water activity in an unsafe manner.
  5. No person shall create or erect signs, markers, or inscriptions of any type without written authority first had and obtained from the Director.
  6. No person shall use abusive, threatening, obscene, or indecent language or gestures in a manner which causes a public nuisance.
  7. No person shall fight, promote, instigate, or encourage fighting or similar violent conduct which would threaten the physical well-being of any person located within a forest-park system.
  8. No person shall commit the act of public indecency as defined in ORS 163.465.
  9. No person shall operate radios, television, musical instruments, and other noise producing devices, or otherwise cause unnecessary sound in such a manner and at such times so as to disturb other persons.
  10. No person shall cause, attempt to cause, or bring about any public demonstrations or disturbances, or in any way create a public nuisance.
  11. No person shall tie ropes, chains or similar items to trees, shrubs and park facilities.
  12. No person may make any noise that would reasonably disrupt normal sleeping activities during quiet hours.
  13. Except as otherwise designated or permitted by the Director, no person shall:
    1. climb, swim, dive, fish, or loiter on, from, or within fifty (50) feet of any bridge, platform, boat launching ramp, dock, Boating Water Safety Barrier (boom), or pier; or
    2. alter, damage, or in any way tamper with any bridge, platform, boat launching ramp, dock, Boating Water Safety Barrier (boom), or pier.
  14. No person shall construct, install, or use a rope swing.
  15. No person shall, within the Linn County forest-park system, refuse to disclose that person's identity to the Director or enforcement officer who requests such information.
  16. No person shall, within the Linn County forest-park system, knowingly give a false or fictitious name, address or date of birth to the Director or any enforcement officer.
  17. No person shall obstruct, harass, or interfere with the official duties of the Director, a County employee, or an enforcement officer.
  18. No person shall place, keep, fill, or use any pool, or similar open-surface device, capable of holding more than five gallons of water.
  19. Excepting for storage within a camp unit's holding tank designed for such use, no person shall remove drinking water from the Linn County forest-park system for use outside of the forest-park system.
  20. No person shall smoke, vape, use e-vapecigarettes, marijuana, or smokeless tobacco in any Linn County Parks buildings, including but not limited to cabins, yurts, restrooms, glamping tents, boats, or lodges. Use of these prohibited products inside Parks buildings will be identified and documented by at least two (2) Parks staff members via smell, visual observations (parapher-nalia, cigarette butts, burns, spit receptacles, etc.), or other evidence. Guests responsible for the reservation of the rented structures, with evidence of indoor prohibited substance use as defined in this section, are subject to cleaning fees of$250 to $1,000 depending on damage.

(G) Garbage, litter, and waste

  1. No person shall deposit any rubbish, garbage, glass or other litter except in receptacles designated for that purpose.
  2. No person shall remove items from containers designated for recyclables, garbage, sewage, or waste without prior authorization from designated Department staff.
  3. No person shall dump household or commercial garbage brought from lands outside the forest-park system.
  4. No person shall depart from the campsite before removing all camping equipment and cleaning up the campsite.
  5. No person shall leave personal property or possessions overnight in a day-use area without written permission from designated Department staff.
  6. No person shall maintain a campsite in an unsightly, unsafe, unclean, or unsanitary condition.
  7. No person shall dispose of hand and dishwater other than in the receptacles provided for that purpose, nor dump human waste in these receptacles.
  8. No person shall wash any clothing or other materials, or clean any fish in a lake or stream, or in any way pollute or defile any stream, spring, well or lake.
  9. No person shall bring sewage from outside of the forest-park system and deposit it into any location within the forest-park system, including dump stations, unless otherwise permit-ted to do so by the Director.

(H) Vehicle operations and parking

  1. No person shall:
    1. park any motorized or electric automobile, motorcycle, truck, trailer, or other vehicle in any area other than an area specifically designated for such purposes.
    2. park any motorized or electric automobile, motorcycle, truck, trailer, or other vehicle in a parking area closed by the Director pursuant to LCC 610.620(B).
  2. The maximum speed limit on all interior roads, drives, and parking lots shall be 15 miles per hour (MPH), unless otherwise posted.
    1. No person shall drive a vehicle in excess of30 MPH over the 15MPH, or otherwise posted, speed limit.
    2. No person shall drive a vehicle 21-30 MPH over the 15MPH, or otherwise posted, speed limit.
    3. No person shall drive a vehicle 11-20 MPH over the 15MPH, or otherwise posted, speed limit.
    4. No person shall drive a vehicle 1-10 MPH over the 15MPH, or otherwise posted, speed limit.
  3. No person shall drive a vehicle at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent, having due regard for traffic, surface and strength of roadways, hazards at intersections and other conditions then existing.
  4. No person shall drive a motor or electric powered vehicle on any walk, path, trail, service road or other area, unless such walk, path, trail, service road, or area has been officially designated for use by motor vehicles.
  5. The Director may prohibit entry of any vehicle into any campground or park area in order to avoid unnecessary congestion of the area and overloading of water and sanitation facilities. The Director may issue temporary entry permits allowing vehicle access to such property when, in the Director's opinion, such entry would not disrupt the operation, safety, and sanitary facilities of the area or campground. No person shall enter such campground or park area without a duly issued entry permit.
  6. No person shall cruise in or through parking lots.
  7. The Director is hereby authorized to remove, or cause to be removed, and to store any vehicle left unattended within any property in the forest-park system where, in the Director's opinion, the vehicle has been parked or left in such a manner, or in an area, that violates this Section. If this authority is exercised, the procedural provisions provided in LCC 650 shall govern the disposition of such vehicle . At the Director's sole discretion, the vehicle may also be disposed of pursuant to the procedural provisions provided in LCC 510 when applicable.
  8. No person shall bring, or cause to bring, any inoperable or functionally deficient vehicle, boat, recreational vehicle, trailer, fifth wheel, or other equipment into any park.
  9. No person shall bring or cause to bring any vehicle, boat, recreational vehicle, trailer, fifth wheel, or other equipment into any park for which that person does not possess the operational means to immediately remove it.
  10. No person shall fail to obey any posted traffic control signs or any noticed traffic control rules established by the Director.
  11. All vehicles, boats, and camp units in the Linn County forest-park system must have applicable required legal licensing and registration and must be insured per applicable laws.
  12. The Director may have a vehicle towed at the owner's expense, pursuant to LCC 650, if a vehicle is parked in a fire lane, roadway, campsite, entry way, driveway, closed area, or other location in a manner that threatens park resources, impedes park operations, or safety, or any combination thereof.
  13. Abandoning a vehicle or leaving a vehicle unattended for 72 hours or more at a within the Linn County forest-park system without written permission from the Director is prohibited and is considered a violation of this Code. Vehi-cles left unattended for 72 hours or more, or vehicles owned by a person who has been ex-cluded from the forest-park system, or who is in violation of criminal trespass, may be towed at the owner's expense pursuant to LCC 650.
  14. Parking a vehicle or a trailer overnight in a day-use area is prohibited without written permission of the Department, and such vehicles are subject to towing at the owner's expense pursuant to LCC 650.

610.620 Other authority of Director

(A) The Director reserves the right to control the parking of vehicles in any property in the forest-park system.

(B) The Director may close or limit further parking in any parking area when the area is deemed to be full.

(C) The Director reserves the right to order the evacuation of a park area to leave the park area for safety evacuation purposes.

(D) The Director may issue a notice to a user of any of the properties subject to this Chapter warning the user of any violations that are being committed, the corrective actions that the user must immediately take to avoid being cited for the violation, and the sanctions for the violations if the actions are not timely taken.

(E) The Director may delegate, in writing, the authority to execute any or all powers set forth in this Chapter whenever the circumstances warrant it. The Director may modify or revoke this delegation at any time.

 

610.630 Forest-park system ejections and exclusions

(A) To ensure compliance with this Chapter, and to provide for a safe environment for County employees and users of the forest-park system, and in addition to any other remedy or right of action allowed by law, ejections and exclusions from a property within the forest-park system are authorized in accordance with this Section.

(B) Nothing in this Section shall be construed to authorize the ejection and/or exclusion of a person for lawfully exercising free speech rights or other rights protected by the State of Oregon or the United States Constitution. However, a person lawfully exercising these protected rights, but who commits an act that is not protected can be subject to ejection and/or exclusion as provided by this Section.

(C) Authorization to Eject.

  1. The Director, an authorized Department employee, or a law enforcement officer may order any person violating any of the provisions of this Chapter to immediately leave a public park or recreation area for the remainder of the day.
  2. If an individual fails to comply with an order to eject, the individual may then be subject to exclusion as provided herein.
  3. All orders to eject must be thoroughly documented by the Department.

(D)Authority to Exclude.

  1. The Director, an authorized Department employee, or a law enforcement officer may issue a written exclusion order to a person who:
    1. Violates any of the provisions of this Chapter;
    2. Uses or possesses any controlled substance within the forest-park system; or
    3. Violates any other state or federal law.

(E) Oral Warning.

  1. Department staff shall attempt to give a person who may be subject to an ejection and/or exclusion under this Section an oral warning and a reasonable opportunity to stop engaging in the violation; provided, however, failure to give an actual oral warning does not nullify the effectiveness or enforceability of an ejection or exclusion.
  2. No oral warning is required before issuing an ejection or exclusion where the behavior, conduct, or activity constitutes dangerous or threatening behavior, or where the behavior includes the use and/or possession of a controlled substance.

 

610.800 Types of permits; when required

(A) The Director may require a permit for the following uses or activities set forth in this Section and may also require a fee, deposit or both a fee and a deposit prior to the issuance of a permit;

  1. overnight camping;
  2. parking at the Lewis Creek Public Park;
  3. reserving and using a group picnic area or shelter;
  4. each additional vehicle in an overnight camping site;
  5. using cabins or any overnight accommodations;
  6. overnight boat moorage; and
  7. special use.

(B) An overnight permit is valid as set forth in this subsection:

  1. for camping, from 2:00 p.m. on the day of permitted use until 12:00 p.m. on the final day of permitted use.
  2. for cabins, from 3:00 p.m. on the day of permitted use until 11:00 a.m. on the final day of permitted use.
  3. for boat moorage, from 12 p.m. on the day of permitted use until 12:00 p.m. on the final day of permitted use.

(C) The Director may designate facilities which require a permit for use. Access to these facilities shall be limited to:

  1. permitted users;
  2. guests of permitted users;
  3. County staff; and
  4. others authorized by the Director.

(D) A daily use permit shall be required for each second or more motor vehicle used or kept at an overnight campsite.

  1. A senior citizen's fee permit discount is available for a campsite when at least fifty percent of the adult campers (an adult is a person eighteen years of age or older) occupying that campsite are sixty-two years of age or older.
     
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