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Business Services

The Business Services section provides administrative services, financial management, public affairs, procurement, and information technology services. 

2025-27 Legislatively Adopted Budget

For the 2025-27 biennium, the agency forecasts an increase of 5% and 12% in revenues and expenditures, respectively (compared to the 2023‐25 Legislative Adopted Budget).  

Cart with Budget Comparison from 19-21 biennium to 21-23 biennium

Revenues

The Marine Board does not receive state general funds, lottery dollars, or facility parking/launch fees.

The agency is funded primarily through fees paid by boaters through:

  • Motorized boat title and registration fees
  • Waterway Access permits
  • Guides & Outfitters registration fees
  • Mandatory Education registration fees
  • Floating Homes & Houseboats title and registration fees
  • Towed Watersports Endorsements

Federal funding also comes from the US Coast Guard. The funding amount depends on the number of registered motorboats and sailboats over 12 feet in length.

Other federal dollars include:

  • US Department of the Interior (Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act) Clean Vessel Act
  • Boating Infrastructure grant funds from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
  • Every four years, the agency surveys motorized boaters on their gasoline consumption. The Oregon Department of Transportation transfers fuel tax dollars back to the agency.

The budget for the biennium 2025-27 projects total revenues of $34.5 million (state) and $7 million (federal funds).

Revenue sources

Expenditures

Four agency sections are receiving the bulk of revenue, returned to boaters for services:

  • Marine Law Enforcement (on-water enforcement, training, equipment)
  • Boating Facilities (grants for boating access & education)
  • Administration and Education (agency operations & boating safety)
  • Aquatic Invasive Species (prevention, education & inspection stations)

Dollars allocated to specific programs

For the biennium 2025-27, the agency is budgeting $43.9 million in expenditures. 

Allocation of revenue for specific agency programsExpenditures and allocations by fund typeHow funds are distributed by fund type to programs

Waterway Access Permit Revenue -Returned to PaddlersWaterway Access Permit graphic with QR code to ODFW online store

Waterway Access Permit revenue goes back to eligible boating facility grant applicants (and organizations that provide on-water education in underserved communities) in the form of Waterway Access Grants (WAG). 

Eligible grant applicants include:

  • Cities,
  • Counties,
  • Ports,
  • Park districts,
  • Transfer bench and low freeboard dock at Westport Park on the Columbia RiverState and federal agencies, and
  • Tribal governments

Grant dollars can be used to:

  • Buy property,
  • Develop, construct, renovate, and improve nonmotorized recreational boating access
  • Promote boating safety education and buy equipment for boating programs in underserved communities.

WAG can assist governmental entities with these types of access improvements on Oregon's waterways:

Image with text of types of projects that can be used with Waterway Access Grant dollars 

Since 2021, over $4.6 million in Waterway Access Permit dollars have been awarded as grants to better serve the needs of paddlers to access the water safely. See the completed projects from our Grant History Dashboard. Click on the WAG tab for Waterway Access Grants, or other funding tabs to see other mixed-use, motorized, or Clean Vessel Act projects!



 

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