Colton Municipal Code Ch. 12.26 Camping and Storage of Personal Property on Public Property

Public property within the City should be readily accessible and available to residents and the public at large. The use of these areas for camping purposes or storage of personal property interferes with the rights of others to use the areas for which they were intended, and is deleterious to the public peace, health, safety and welfare, in that it obstructs intended uses for the public at large, contributes to blight and can cause damage to public property. The purpose of this Chapter is to maintain public property within the City as accessible to the public at large, to keep such areas in a clean and accessible condition, and to maintain the public peace, health, safety and welfare.

(Ord. No. O-08-11, § 2, 11-15-2011; Ord. No. O-09-11, § 1, 12-6-2011)

Unless the particular provisions or the context otherwise requires, the definitions contained in this section shall govern the construction, meaning and application of words and phrases used in this article. Any terms not defined in this section shall be the same as defined in Section 1.04.010 of this Code. To the extent conflicts exist between definitions herein and elsewhere in this Code, the definitions in this section shall control for purposes of this Chapter.

"Camp" means to pitch or occupy camp facilities and/or to use "camp paraphernalia."

"Camp facility" includes, but is not limited to, tents, huts, or other temporary shelters, as well as, cots, beds, sleeping bags, hammocks or bedrolls.

"Camp paraphernalia" includes, but is not limited to, tarpaulins, cots, beds, sleeping bags, hammocks, or non-city designated cooking facilities and similar equipment.

"Public property" means any publicly owned property in the City, improved or unimproved, including, but not limited to, any of the following: public alleyways; public parking lots; public passageways; public streets; public rights-of-way; publicly owned, maintained or operated parks; publicly owned, maintained or operated landscaped areas or greenbelts; publicly owned, maintained or operated open spaces, including, but not limited to, those adjacent to City hall or other public facilities or buildings of any kind; public sidewalks, curbs and gutters; public educational institutions; or other government owned, maintained or operated properties located within the City.

"Store" means to put aside or accumulate for use when needed, to put for safekeeping, to place or leave in a location.

"Sidewalk" means the same as defined in Section 1.04.010 of this Code.

"Street" means the same as defined in Section 1.04.010 of this Code.

(Ord. No. O-08-11, § 2, 11-15-2011; Ord. No. O-09-11, § 1, 12-6-2011)

It shall be unlawful for any person to camp, occupy camp facilities or use camp paraphernalia on any public property within the City, except as otherwise provided herein or mandated by applicable law.

(Ord. No. O-08-11, § 2, 11-15-2011; Ord. No. O-09-11, § 1, 12-6-2011)

It shall be unlawful for any person to store personal property, including camp facilities and camp paraphernalia on any public property within the City, except as otherwise provided herein or mandated by applicable law.

(Ord. No. O-08-11, § 2, 11-15-2011; Ord. No. O-09-11, § 1, 12-6-2011)

This section shall not apply to any person camping, occupying camp facilities or using camp paraphernalia, or to any person storing personal property, including camp facilities and camp paraphernalia, on any public property designated by the City for such purposes. The City Council may, by resolution or ordinance, establish one or more specified areas of public property for such purposes.

(Ord. No. O-08-11, § 2, 11-15-2011; Ord. No. O-09-11, § 1, 12-6-2011)

A. Any person who fails to comply with any provision of this Chapter is deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable as set forth in Section 8.02.040 of this Code.

B. Each person shall be deemed guilty of a separate offense for each and every day, or any portion thereof, during which any violation of or failure to comply with any of the provisions of this Chapter is committed, continued or permitted by such person, and each instance shall be deemed punishable as provided in this Chapter.

C. The provisions of this chapter are in addition to the authority of the police or other City officials to enforce this Code or other applicable law, and shall supplement, and not supplant, the exercise of any other power available to the City or the enforcement of any other law within the jurisdiction of the City. The remedies included in this Chapter are intended to be cumulative of other available remedies, and the City may pursue any other remedy allowed by law to enforce this chapter, including, but not limited to, injunctive relief and the issuance of administrative penalties pursuant to chapter 8.12 of this Code. All such remedies may be pursued individually, consecutively, or in conjunction with each other.

D. The provisions of this Chapter shall not be construed as permitting conduct not prescribed herein and shall not affect the enforceability of any other applicable provisions of law.

(Ord. No. O-09-11, § 1, 12-6-2011)