Lake Oswego introduces new regulations on public lake access

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — After a recent court ruling, the city of Lake Oswego has now put forward new rules regarding lake access, including entry times and what type of boat people are allowed to use.

In a Tuesday City Council meeting, City Manager Martha Bennett brought forth the new rules which prohibit the launch of motorboats, sailboats, sailboards, personal watercraft, kiteboards, or non-USCG approved inflatables at Lower Millennium Plaza Park. 

However, swimmers and people with watercraft that are 18 feet or less in length can still enter the lake, but only from the steps at Millennium Plaza Park. Inflatables must also be approved by the United States Coast Guard.

Further, entry into the lake is allowed from one hour before sunrise until up to one hour after sunset.

All of this comes after an order issued in March, which banned the City of Lake Oswego from enforcing policies that exclude access to Oswego Lake from Millennium Plaza Park. Clackamas County Circuit Court Judge Kathie Steele also ordered officials to get rid of obstructions like boulders and metal reeds.

While the city still has authority regarding the other two access points, Sundeleaf Plaza and Headlee Walkway, Judge Steele also ordered the city to remove exclusionary signs, such as those that read “Private Lake” and “No Trespassing” on public property.

After back and forth discussions, the City Council voted not to appeal the court’s decision. But their new rules are also the latest development after a years-long saga involving who should have access to the lake.

Todd Prager, a Lake Oswego resident and planning commission member, and Mark Kramer, a non-resident described as a “long-time enthusiast of paddling,” sued the city and homeowner group Lake Oswego Corporation in 2012. The complainants argued that local policies deemed the lake as private property violated the state’s “right and obligation to protect the public’s use of the State’s navigable waterways or navigable portions of waterways.”

About a decade later, Clackamas County court ruled the public has the right to access the lake. Although residents were permitted to use it during the summer, a local ordinance still prohibited people from entering the property through any of the three access points to swim or boat.

It wasn’t until November 2024 that Judge Steele ordered Lake Oswego to remove the pre-existing “no access” sign and withdraw the ordinance against entering the lake.

With the current establishment of the new rules, the city says they are planning to post temporary signs this week and install permanent signage at a later date.