Boating Facilities Program Overview

The Marine Board's Boating Facilities Section: from surveying and permitting to design and engineering services, our facilities staffers know the "ins and outs" of completing access projects that can withstand floods, droughts, and high use while helping protect the banks and habitats for fish and other wildlife -through design. The agency also provides funding for parking, restrooms (water and land-based), lighting, staging areas, pump-out and dump stations, and other designs to help meet the needs of the growing number of diverse boating uses.

Your Oregon State Marine Board - investing in boating access infrastructure to last generations

The Marine Board’s Boating Facilities Program started in 1962 when federal gas tax money became available to build boating facilities.

In 1985, the Oregon Legislature told the Oregon Department of Transportation to send marine fuel tax money back to the Marine Board to support boating programs. That same year, the Maintenance Assistance Program (MAP) was created to help facility owners pay for basic maintenance. MAP was started because local funding had dropped, and the Marine Board wanted to protect and extend the life of its grant‑funded projects. This trend has continued, and each year, the agency receives more requests for maintenance assistance.

The Marine Board provides grant funding to local, state, and federal partners that own and manage waterway facilities. The Marine Board does not own or run any access sites; instead, it relies on partners to apply for grants and make improvements.

Boating Facility Grants are available to public facility owners across Oregon to build, improve, or maintain access sites for recreational boaters. Common improvements include boat ramps, docks, parking areas, restrooms, temporary tie‑up docks, and services like pump-out and dump stations and floating restrooms. Facility owners must provide a 25% match for Marine Board grants, which can be paid through staff time, materials, or cash contributions.

The Marine Board does not receive money from the state General Fund or the Lottery. Agency funding comes from state and federal user fees. State funding includes boat registration fees and marine fuel taxes paid by owners of registered motorboats and sailboats 12 feet or longer. Additional state revenue comes from Waterway Access Permit sales for owners of non‑motorized boats, like kayaks, canoes, rafts, drift boats, stand‑up paddleboards, and small sailboats. Federal funding includes grants from the U.S. Coast Guard for boating safety and from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service through the Clean Vessel Act for waste‑handling facilities and short‑term moorage.

The Boating Facilities Section creates a Six‑Year Plan using feedback from boaters and facility owners to identify boating needs. The plan helps guide which projects should receive grant funding. The 2024–2030 plan identified nearly $500 million in facility needs. For perspective, the agency receives roughly $13.1 million every two-year budget cycle.