164.785 Placing offensive substances in waters, on highways or other property. (1)(a) It is unlawful for any person, including a person in the possession or control of any land, to discard any dead animal carcass or part thereof, excrement, putrid, nauseous, noisome, decaying, deleterious or offensive substance into or in any other manner befoul, pollute or impair the quality of any spring, river, brook, creek, branch, well, irrigation drainage ditch, irrigation ditch, cistern or pond of water.
(b)(A) In a prosecution under this subsection, it is a defense that:
(i) The dead animal carcass that is discarded is a fish carcass;
(ii) The person returned the fish carcass to the water from which the person caught the fish; and
(iii) The person retained proof of compliance with any provisions regarding angling prescribed by the State Fish and Wildlife Commission pursuant to ORS 496.162.
(B) As used in this paragraph, “fish carcass” means entrails, gills, head, skin, fins and backbone.
(2) It is unlawful for any person to place or cause to be placed any polluting substance listed in subsection (1) of this section into any road, street, alley, lane, railroad right of way, lot, field, meadow or common. It is unlawful for an owner thereof to knowingly permit any polluting substances to remain in any of the places described in this subsection to the injury of the health or to the annoyance of any citizen of this state. Every 24 hours after conviction for violation of this subsection during which the violator permits the polluting substances to remain is an additional offense against this subsection.
(3) Nothing in this section shall apply to the storage or spreading of manure or like substance for agricultural, silvicultural or horticultural purposes, except that no sewage
Stored review status: 2025_edition_later_amendments_unresolved. A text match is a research starting point; applicability is not established.
Official chapter context and edition notices
Chapter 164 — Offenses Against Property
ORS sections in this chapter were amended or repealed by the Legislative Assembly during its 2026 regular session. See the table of ORS sections amended or repealed during the 2026 regular session: 2026 A&R Tables
New sections of law were enacted by the Legislative Assembly during its 2026 regular session and pertain to or are likely to be compiled in this ORS chapter. See sections in the following 2026 Oregon Laws chapters: 2026 Session Laws 0014 ; 2026 Session Laws 0053 ; 2026 Session Laws 0067
2025 EDITION
OFFENSES AGAINST PROPERTY
CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS
DEFINITIONS
THEFT AND RELATED OFFENSES
MAIL-RELATED OFFENSES
MONEY LAUNDERING
BURGLARY AND CRIMINAL TRESPASS
ARSON, CRIMINAL MISCHIEF AND RELATED OFFENSES
GRAFFITI-RELATED OFFENSES
ROBBERY
LITTERING
UNLAWFUL TRANSPORT
MISCELLANEOUS
DEFINITIONS
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Stable record: oregon_criminal_law:legal_authorities:164.785 Source file: ors164.html Pages: Not recorded – Not recorded Passage SHA-256: 0e4f029b684acfdc75bacadfef50ccfa5111ac8634fc0c835c79117d81f151ed Retained source evidence SHA-256: 4f233e8c2845121d92478a7eeb1ecc446ff209639f33f26a4f75386ddc5638f3
Source location: ORS 164.785 (all printed versions and notes)
Stored source content
164.785 Placing offensive substances in waters, on highways or other property. (1)(a) It is unlawful for any person, including a person in the possession or control of any land, to discard any dead animal carcass or part thereof, excrement, putrid, nauseous, noisome, decaying, deleterious or offensive substance into or in any other manner befoul, pollute or impair the quality of any spring, river, brook, creek, branch, well, irrigation drainage ditch, irrigation ditch, cistern or pond of water.
(b)(A) In a prosecution under this subsection, it is a defense that:
(i) The dead animal carcass that is discarded is a fish carcass;
(ii) The person returned the fish carcass to the water from which the person caught the fish; and
(iii) The person retained proof of compliance with any provisions regarding angling prescribed by the State Fish and Wildlife Commission pursuant to ORS 496.162.
(B) As used in this paragraph, “fish carcass” means entrails, gills, head, skin, fins and backbone.
(2) It is unlawful for any person to place or cause to be placed any polluting substance listed in subsection (1) of this section into any road, street, alley, lane, railroad right of way, lot, field, meadow or common. It is unlawful for an owner thereof to knowingly permit any polluting substances to remain in any of the places described in this subsection to the injury of the health or to the annoyance of any citizen of this state. Every 24 hours after conviction for violation of this subsection during which the violator permits the polluting substances to remain is an additional offense against this subsection.
(3) Nothing in this section shall apply to the storage or spreading of manure or like substance for agricultural, silvicultural or horticultural purposes, except that no sewage sludge, septic tank or cesspool pumpings shall be used for these purposes unless treated and applied in a manner approved by the Department of Environmental Quality.
(4) Violation of this section is a Class A misdemeanor.
(5) The Department of Environmental Quality may impose the civil penalty authorized by ORS 468.140 for violation of this section. [Formerly 449.105; 1983 c.257 §1; 1987 c.325 §1; 2013 c.132 §1]
Cross-references
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Oregon criminal law — ORS Title 16 (2025 snapshot) · legal_authorities
164.775 Deposit of trash within 100 yards of waters or in waters; license suspensions; civil penalties; credit for work in lieu of fine. (1) It is unlawful for any person to discard any glass, cans or other trash, rubbish, debris or litter on land within 100 yards of any of the waters of the state, as defined in ORS 468B.005, other than in receptacles provided for the purpose of holding such trash, rubbish, debris or litter.
(2) It is unlawful for any person to discard any glass, cans or other similar refuse in any waters of the state, as defined in ORS 468B.005.
(3) In addition to or in lieu of the penalties provided for violation of any provision of this section, the court in which any individual is convicted of a violation of this section may order suspension of certain permits or licenses for a period not to exceed 90 days if the court finds that the violation occurred during or in connection with the exercise of the privilege granted by the permit or license. The permits and licenses to which this section applies are hunting licenses, fishing licenses or boat registrations.
(4)(a) Any person sentenced under subsection (6) of this section to pay a fine for violation of this section shall be permitted, in default of the payment of the fine, to work at clearing rubbish, trash and debris from the lands and waters described by subsections (1) and (2) of this section. Credit in compensation for such work shall be allowed at the rate of $25 for each day of work.
(b) In any case, upon conviction, if punishment by imprisonment is imposed upon the defendant, the form of the sentence shall include that the defendant shall be punished by confinement at labor clearing rubbish, trash and debris from the lands and waters described by subsections (1) and (2) of this section, f