Perhaps the most special places on the Oregon coast are our ocean beaches. But like other parts of our landscape, the beach is not totally free from the works of man. Several state laws are in place to keep interference to a minimum. The Department of Parks and Recreation protects access to the beach. And both the Perks Department and the Division of State lands have programs to ensure that activities on the beach do not compromise either valuable resources or the public's use and enjoyment of the beach.
Most people think that Oregon's beaches are publicly owned.
But that's not entirely correct. The public does own the wet sand portion of the beach, up to the ordinary high tide line. But the dry sand portion of the beach is usually part of the adjoining upland property. In many cases, this property is provately owned. Even so, the public has a perpetual easement to use the dry sand portion of the beach up to the surveyed beach zone line.