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83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session
A-Engrossed
House Bill 2668
Ordered by the House April 7
Including House Amendments dated April 7
Sponsored by Representatives OSBORNE, MUNOZ; Representatives BOICE, ELMER, JAVADI, LEVY B, MANNIX,
NELSON (Presession filed.)
SUMMARY
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject
to consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor’s brief statement of the essential features of the
measure. The statement includes a measure digest written in compliance with applicable readability standards.
Digest: The Act says that private persons who help look for a missing person must first tell
certain things to the family of the missing person and to the county sheriff. (Flesch Readability
Score:60.7).
Requires certain private persons, before engaging in search and rescue efforts, to make specified
disclosures to the family of the missing person and to notify county sheriffs.
A BILL FOR AN ACT
Relating to search and rescue.
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
SECTION 1. Sections 2 to 5 of this 2025 Act are added to and made a part of ORS 404.095
to 404.270.
SECTION 2.As used in sections 2 to 5 of this 2025 Act:
(1) “Immediate family” has the meaning given that term in ORS 163.730.
(2) “Private search party” means any person that:
(a) Participates or offers to participate in an effort to locate a missing person;
(b) Intends to charge a fee, request donations or profit from a production in connection
with such efforts;
(c) Is not acting as an agent of, at the request of, or pursuant to an agreement with a
public body or federal governmental body; and
(d) Is not a qualified search and rescue volunteer as defined in ORS 404.200.
(3) “Production” means a photograph, motion picture, video recording or audio recording.
(4) “Public body” has the meaning given that term in ORS 174.109.
SECTION 3. (1) A private search party, before engaging in efforts to locate a missing
person, shall disclose to an immediate family member of the missing person, verbally and in
writing:
(a) That the private search party is not acting in connection with a governmental body;
and
(b) The nature of the private search party’s involvement in the effort to locate the
missingperson.
(2) A private search party shall notify an immediate family member of the missing per-
son, verbally and in writing, if the private search party:
(a) Intends to charge a fee for the private search party’s services or assistance;
NOTE:Matter in boldfaced type in an amended section is new; matter [italic and bracketed] is existing law to be omitted.
New sections are in boldfaced type.
LC 198 A-Eng. HB 2668
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(b) Intends to request donations for the private search party’s services or assistance; or
(c) Intends to derive profit from any production made in connection with the private
search party’s services or assistance.
SECTION 4. (1) Except as provided in subsection (4) of this section, at least 72 hours
before engaging in efforts to locate a missing person, a private search party shall notify the
sheriff of the county in which the efforts will take place.
(2) A notification under this section must include the following information:
(a) The name, residence address and contact information for the private search party;
(b) The date of birth of the private search party;
(c) Whether the private search party holds certifications related to search and rescue,
emergency operations or medicine;
(d) The identity of the missing person;
(e) Whether the private search party intends to use dogs in the search effort;
(f) The anticipated time frame for the search efforts; and
(g) Which of the notifications described in section 3 (2) of this 2025 Act the private search
party is required to make, if any, and whether the private search party has made such no-
tifications.
(3) Notifications to sheriffs under this section must be made by telephone, in writing or
through any Internet-based portal created for the purpose of making such notifications.
(4) The law enforcement agency of any public body may authorize private search parties
to begin search efforts before the 72-hour period described in subsection (1) of this section
haselapsed.
SECTION 5. A county may adopt an ordinance or resolution that imposes civil penalties
for failure to comply with the provisions of sections 2 to 5 of this 2025 Act.
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