Linn County Parks & Recreation

If your questions are not answered here, we encourage you to call our office at (541) 967-3917 or send us an email.

You can download the latest version of the entire park system code here.

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 or any law enforcement officer has the authority to order any person to immediately vacate any property in the county forest-park system when the Director or law enforcement officer has reasonable cause to suspicion that the person has or is violating any regulation in LCC 610.610 this section.

(B) 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 subsection (C) of this section.

(C) 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.

(D) 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.

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

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

Forest-Park Regulations – LCC 610.610

(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 park rule 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 or motor home, or pitch tents, or use camping equipment 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 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.

(5) 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.

(6) 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.

(7) 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.

(8) No person shall allow more vehicles in that person’s campsite than is authorized on that person’s permit. The Director reserves the right to define the number of vehicles appropriate for any individual campsite. One camping unit (slide-in camper, travel trailer, motor home, or camping van) allowed per individual site.

(9) No person shall fail to pay the required permit fee for any activity which requires a permit fee in the County Forest Park-System.

(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
(a) more than 7 consecutive days without a prepaid reservation;
(b) more than 14 total days in any thirty day period; or
(c) more than 60 total days in any 12 month period.

(2) The Director shall identify up to ten campsites at Edgewater RV Park and Marina at which no person shall stay overnight
(a) more than 30 total days between May 1st and September 30th; and
(b) more than 180 total days between October 1st and April 30th.

(3) No person shall stay in any of the following Linn County camping area properties longer than 14 days in a thirty day period:
(a) Whitcomb Creek Public Park.
(b) John Neal Memorial Public Park.
(c) Waterloo CountyPublic Park.
(d) Sunnyside Public Park.
(e) River Bend Public Park.
(f) Clear Lake Resort.

(4) No person shall stay in the camping areas of the following properties longer than twenty-four (24) consecutive hours:
(a) Peoria Public Park.
(b) McCartney Recreation Area.

(5) No person shall fail to vacate a permitted site by checkout time.

(6) No person shall stay after posted closing hours, except upon prior written permission from the Director.

(7) 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 trespassing and, in addition to other lawful remedies, may be prosecuted for criminal trespass.

(8) 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.

(9) No person may remain in an area closed or restricted pursuant to LCC 610.400 (B).

(10) No person under the age of 18 shall camp overnight unless accompanied and under the control at all times by an adult.

(11) 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 bring more than two pets into a Linn County Park.

(3) All dogs or pets must be on a leash of six (6) feet in length or less, or kept in an adequately ventilated vehicle.

(4) No person shall allow any animal in the person’s custody to annoy or molest any person or other pet.

(5) 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.

(6) No person shall in any manner, pursue, hunt, trap, or molest any bird or animal.

(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.

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

(1) No person shall pick, mutilate, dig or remove any plant whether living or dead, or 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 whatever, 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 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.

(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 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.

(8) No person shall cause, attempt to cause, or bring about any public demonstrations or disturbances, or in any way create a public nuisance.

(9) No person shall tie ropes, chains or similar items to trees, shrubs and park facilities.

(10) No person may make any noise that would reasonably disrupt normal sleeping activities during quiet hours.

(11) No person shall swim, dive, fish or loiter on, from or within fifty (50) feet of, any bridge, platform, boat launching ramp, dock, or pier, except in areas designated by the Director for such purposes .

(12) No person shall construct, install, or use a rope swing.

(13) No person shall, within the County Forest-Park System, refuse to disclose that person’s identity to the Director or enforcement officer who requests such information.

(14) No person shall, within the County Forest-Park System, knowingly give a false or fictitious name, address or date of birth to the Director or any enforcement officer.

(15) No person shall obstruct, harass, or interfere with the official duties of the Director or an enforcement officer.

(16) No person shall place, keep, fill, or use any pool, or similar open-surface device, capable of holding more than five gallons of water.

(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 dump household or commercial garbage brought from lands outside the forest-park system.

(3) No person shall depart from the campsite before removing all camping equipment and cleaning up campsite.

(4) No person shall maintain a campsite in an unsightly, unsafe, unclean, or unsanitary condition.

(5) No person shall dispose of hand and dishwater other than in the receptacles provided for that purpose, or to dump human waste in these receptacles.

(6) 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.

(H) Vehicle Operations and Parking

(1) No person shall
(a) park any motorized or electric automobile, motorcycle, truck, trailer, or other vehicle in any area other than an area specifically
designated for such purposes.
(b) 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.
(a) No person shall drive a vehicle in excess of 30 MPH over the 15 MPH, or otherwise posted, speed limit.
(b) No person shall drive a vehicle 21-30 MPH over the 15 MPH, or otherwise posted, speed limit.
(c) No person shall drive a vehicle 11-20 MPH over the 15 MPH, or otherwise posted, speed limit.
(d) No person shall drive a vehicle 1-10 MPH over the 15 MPH, 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.

(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 of ORS 819.120 to 819.260 govern the disposition of such vehicle and the rights of the owner therein.

(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.

Other Authority of the Director – 610.620

(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 or an enforcement officer may exclude a person from the County Forest Park System if that person:
(1) violates any provision of this Chapter. The period of exclusion may be up to 180 days, except that the period of exclusion may be
up to 365 days for violations constituting threats of physical violence or harm to any employee or agent of Linn County Parks and Recreation or users of the Linn County forest-park system or for multiple or repeated violations; or

(2) uses or possesses any controlled substance within the County Forest-Park System the use or possession of which is unlawful under either State or federal law. The period of exclusion shall be for 365 days.

(3) The Director may establish by Department policy a presumptive period of exclusion, equal to or less than the maximum allowed exclusion period, for an exclusion under subsection (E)(1) of this Section.

(F) A person who is excluded under subsection (E) may contest the exclusion notice by submitting a written appeal to the County Parks and Recreation Director, if issued by an employee or designee of the Director or an enforcement officer, or to the County Administrative Officer if
issued by the County Parks and Recreation Director. A decision by the Director on appeal may be further appealed to the Administrative Officer. The decision by the Administrative Officer on appeal is final.

(G) Except as otherwise provided in this Section, the process for notice and appeal of an exclusion under this section shall be substantially  similar to the process provided in Linn County Policy 39 (Exclusion From County Owned Property).

(H) Exclusion under this Section is in addition to and not in lieu of any violation proceeding pursuant to LCC 610.900.