Lane County boaters can get free safety checks at Bi-Mart stores

Lane County boaters heading toward summer lakes and rivers will have three chances this month to get a free safety check before launch. The Lane County Sheriff’s Office Marine Patrol and Bi-Mart will offer inspections at stores in Eugene, Florence and Springfield, a low-cost stop that can help avoid citations, breakdowns and unsafe days on the water.

The first inspection is scheduled for Saturday, May 16, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the River Road Bi-Mart in Eugene. The second will be Saturday, May 23, at the Florence Bi-Mart on Highway 101. The final stop is Sunday, May 31, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Springfield Bi-Mart, 1521 Mohawk Boulevard.

Deputies will be checking whether boats carry the required gear before they leave the parking lot and head to the lake. For nonmotorized boats such as kayaks and paddle boards, that means a life jacket, a whistle or compressed-air horn, and a waterway access permit. Oregon requires a whistle or compressed-air horn on boats less than 39 feet 4 inches long, and a waterway access permit for all paddlecraft. Stand-up paddleboards count as boats for life jacket and sound-device rules, and permits can transfer between nonmotorized boats. Children 13 and under do not need a permit.

The checks matter far beyond one afternoon at the store. Lane County Marine Patrol conducts both on-water and off-water inspections, and boats that pass receive a decal recognized by other marine law-enforcement officers statewide for the calendar year. Some boats, including home-built boats that have never been titled or registered in Oregon or any other state, also need a marine law-enforcement inspection before they can be titled and registered.

The timing fits a busy stretch for local waterways. Lane County Marine Patrol participated in 83 water rescues last year, underscoring how quickly a missing life jacket, a forgotten horn or a poor equipment check can turn into a call for help. The Oregon State Marine Board tracks boating fatalities as part of a federal reporting system, and statewide reporting showed 17 to 19 boating-related deaths in Oregon in 2024, up from 14 in 2023.

For Lane County families planning paddle trips, bass fishing runs or first warm-weather outings, these free inspections offer one simple step before the boat ever leaves the pavement: make sure the gear is there, the permit is valid and the day on the water starts safely.