Camping Code

The intent of the camping ordinance is to comply with ORS 195.550 which requires that any city law that regulates the acts of sitting, lying, sleeping, and/or keeping warm and dry outdoors on public property that is open to the public must be objectively reasonable as to time, place, and manner.  

  
The camping ordinance is intended to regulate the time, place, and manner in which persons may occupy public property:

• Time regulations concern the times of day when a person may camp on public property.
• Place regulations identify the public property where camping is not allowed such as on restricted utility facilities or parking lots.
• Manner regulations establish how an individual may camp on City property, such as the size of a camp, items in and around a camp, and prohibitions on open fires, unauthorized electrical hookups and sewage discharge onto streets.

As part of this effort, the City solicited input concerning these camping regulations from members of the community, including stakeholders and organizations that assist low-income and/or homeless members of the community. Public meetings were held in April with the Public Works Advisory Board, and the Parks Advisory Board. The City Council held a work session concerning the proposed regulations on April 12, 2023 and a public hearing was held on May 24. 2023. The Ordinance was passed on June 14, 2023.

This Code went into effect on July 14, 2023.