Oregon GPS Tracking Laws: Is It Legal to Put a Tracker on a Car? (2026)

A GPS tracker the size of a matchbox can report a car's location every few seconds for weeks. In Oregon, sticking one of those on somebody else's vehicle is not a gray area. It is a named crime with its own statute, and it can become a felony fast if the person placing it has a stalking history.

This guide is part of our GPS Tracking Laws by State series. It walks through ORS 163.715, who is allowed to track a vehicle in Oregon, what happens to people who do it illegally, and how victims can sue.

Is It Legal to Put a GPS Tracker on a Car in Oregon?

Only if the vehicle's owner says yes. Since 2017, Oregon has had a statute aimed squarely at hidden vehicle trackers: ORS 163.715, unlawful use of a global positioning system device.

The rule is short. If you knowingly attach a GPS device to a motor vehicle without the consent of the vehicle's owner, you have committed a crime. It does not matter whether you ever looked at the location data. The act of affixing the device is the offense.

That means tracking your own car is fine. Tracking a car you co-own is generally fine too, because an owner is consenting. Tracking an ex's car, a dating partner's car, or a vehicle titled solely to your estranged spouse is where people get charged.

Oregon's GPS Device Law (ORS 163.715)

ORS 163.715 was created by Senate Bill 483 in 2017, after advocates pointed out that abusers were using cheap trackers to follow victims and that Oregon law did not clearly criminalize it. The legislature put the new offense in chapter 163, the same chapter as stalking and other crimes against persons. That placement was deliberate. Oregon treats covert vehicle tracking as a personal safety crime, not a simple privacy violation.

The baseline offense is a Class A misdemeanor. Under Oregon's general sentencing statutes, that carries up to 364 days in jail and a fine of up to $6,250.

The statute then adds a serious escalator. The same act becomes a Class C felony if the person affixing the device:

• Has a prior conviction for stalking under ORS 163.732
• Has a prior conviction for violating a stalking protective order under ORS 163.750
• Is the subject of an outstanding stalking citation issued under ORS 163.735
• Is subject to a no-contact order, including a stalking protective order under ORS 30.866 or ORS 163.738, or a Family Abuse Prevention Act restraining order under ORS 107.700 to 107.735

A Class C felony in Oregon carries up to 5 years in prison and a fine of up to $125,000. In other words, a person already under a restraining order who plants a tracker on the protected person's car is looking at felony exposure for the tracker alone, before prosecutors even reach the stalking or contempt charges. If you have an Oregon protective order or are thinking about getting one, our Oregon restraining order guide explains how those orders work.

Who Can Legally Track a Vehicle in Oregon

ORS 163.715 builds in three main paths to legal tracking.

The vehicle's owner consents. This is the everyday exception. You can track your own car. A parent who owns or co-owns a teen's car can install a tracker. Spouses can track a vehicle they jointly own, because a consenting owner is consenting. The analysis changes when the car is titled solely to the other spouse, especially during a separation. In that situation the safe assumption is that placing a tracker is a crime.

Police acting under a warrant. Officers may attach a tracking device when a court authorizes it. This mirrors the federal constitutional rule from United States v. Jones, 565 U.S. 400 (2012), where the Supreme Court held that attaching a GPS device to a car and monitoring it is a Fourth Amendment search. Warrantless tracking by police is the exception, not the norm.

The motor-carrier exception. Here is Oregon's unusual wrinkle. The statute does not apply when the device is affixed to a vehicle owned or operated by a motor carrier, as defined in ORS 825.005. Motor carriers are the commercial trucking and for-hire transport companies regulated under chapter 825. The exception is written broadly: any person may affix a GPS device to a motor-carrier vehicle without violating ORS 163.715. In practice this protects fleet telematics, shipper tracking, and logistics monitoring on commercial trucks. It is one of the broadest commercial carve-outs in any state GPS statute.

What is missing from that list matters just as much. Oregon has no exception for private investigators. A PI who sticks a tracker on a subject's personal vehicle without the owner's consent commits the same misdemeanor as anyone else. Several states give licensed investigators a defense. Oregon does not.

Can My Employer Track My Car in Oregon?

It depends entirely on who owns the vehicle.

If you drive a company-owned car, van, or truck, your employer is the owner and can consent to its own tracker. GPS on company vehicles is lawful and extremely common, and if the vehicle qualifies as a motor-carrier vehicle under ORS 825.005, the tracking is exempt from the statute altogether.

If you drive your own personal car for work, the picture flips. Your employer is not the owner, so affixing a tracker to your personal vehicle without your consent would violate ORS 163.715. Employers that want location data from personal vehicles typically get it through a consent form or a mileage app you agree to install.

Oregon has no statute requiring employers to give written notice before tracking company vehicles, so do not expect a disclosure letter. Workplace monitoring in Oregon runs on ownership and consent. For cameras and other monitoring on the job, see our guide to surveillance camera laws.

AirTags and Item Trackers

ORS 163.715 is a vehicle statute. It applies when a GPS device is affixed to a motor vehicle. An Apple AirTag, Tile, or SmartTag dropped into a purse, coat pocket, or backpack does not fit that language.

That does not make AirTag tracking legal. It just moves the case to a different statute. Oregon's stalking law, ORS 163.732, criminalizes knowingly alarming or coercing another person through repeated unwanted contact, and courts treat covert electronic monitoring as part of a stalking course of conduct. Stalking starts as a Class A misdemeanor and becomes a Class C felony for repeat offenders.

An AirTag attached to a car, by contrast, can support a charge under ORS 163.715 itself, since the device is affixed to a motor vehicle and reports location. Either way, hiding a tracker on a person or their belongings in Oregon invites criminal liability, and federal law adds another layer: 18 U.S.C. 2261A, the federal stalking statute, covers using any electronic device to surveil a person in a way that causes substantial emotional distress or fear, with penalties of up to 5 years for a basic violation.

Penalties: Misdemeanor Standard, Felony With a Stalking History

Prosecutors can stack charges. A defendant who planted a tracker and then used it to show up wherever the victim went will often face both the GPS count and a stalking count, plus violation of any protective order in place.

Suing the Tracker: ORS 30.866 and Privacy Torts

Criminal charges are the state's tool. Oregon also gives victims their own.

ORS 30.866 creates a civil stalking action. A person who has been subjected to repeated unwanted contact that causes reasonable alarm can petition the circuit court for a stalking protective order. Covert GPS tracking, discovered trackers, and tracker-enabled appearances at the victim's locations are exactly the kind of contacts courts consider.

The remedies go beyond the order itself. In the same action the court can award compensatory damages, including out-of-pocket losses like security costs and lost income, plus punitive damages and attorney fees. That fee-shifting provision matters, because it makes these cases financially possible for victims who could not otherwise hire a lawyer.

Separately, Oregon recognizes the common-law tort of intrusion upon seclusion. Secretly monitoring someone's daily movements with a hidden device is a textbook intrusion claim, and it can be brought alongside or instead of the statutory action.

What to Do If You Find a Tracker on Your Car

Stay calm and think about evidence before you act.

1. Photograph the device where you found it. Wheel wells, bumper cavities, under-seat areas, and the OBD-II port under the dash are the most common spots. Take wide and close shots.
2. Do not destroy it. The device is evidence. Its serial number can often be traced to a purchaser or a subscription account.
3. Call the police. Report it under ORS 163.715. Ask for a case number and ask that the device be logged into evidence.
4. Consider leaving it in place temporarily if officers ask, since removal can tip off the person monitoring you and complicate the investigation. Follow law enforcement's guidance on this.
5. If you suspect a specific person, talk to an attorney or a domestic violence advocate about a stalking protective order under ORS 30.866 and document every incident.
6. Check your phone too. Tracking rarely travels alone. Review location sharing settings, unknown AirTag alerts, and any apps you did not install.

If the situation involves recorded conversations as well as tracking, Oregon's consent rules for audio are different from its GPS rules. Our Oregon recording laws guide covers when you can record calls and conversations in the state.

Sources

• ORS 163.715 - Unlawful use of a global positioning system device (ORS ch. 163)
• ORS 163.732 - Stalking (ORS ch. 163)
• ORS 30.866 - Civil stalking action and protective order
• ORS 161.605, 161.615, 161.625, 161.635 - Maximum terms and fines for felonies and misdemeanors
• ORS 825.005 - Definitions for motor carriers
• 18 U.S.C. 2261A - Federal stalking statute
• United States v. Jones, 565 U.S. 400 (2012)

Disclaimer: This article is legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and every situation is different. If you are dealing with illegal tracking, stalking, or a protective order matter in Oregon, talk to a licensed Oregon attorney. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.