Grand Terrace Municipal Code Ch. 9.32 Unlawful Camping and Storage of Personal Property

The purpose of this Chapter is to:

A. Protect the health, welfare, and safety of residents and all people within the City's boundaries by reserving open spaces and facilities within City limits for their intended purposes.

B. Provide standards for camping and sheltering outdoors which are intended to be as compatible as possible with the protection and preservation of health, safety, and welfare of the inhabitants of the City of Grand Terrace, including unhoused persons.

C. Address issues such as fire risk, environmental degradation, public access impediments, unsanitary conditions, and public safety hazards for residents, neighboring businesses, and unhoused persons.

(Ord. No. 362, § 2, 11-12-2024)

For the purposes of this Chapter:

A. "Camp" or "Camping" means to place, pitch, or occupy camp facilities; to live temporarily in a camp facility or outdoors; to use camp paraphernalia in a single location within the City for more than 24 hours.

B. "Camp facilities" includes, but are not limited to, tents, huts, or temporary shelter.

C. "Camp paraphernalia" includes, but is not limited to, bedrolls, tarpaulins, cots, beds, sleeping bags, hammocks, or cooking facilities and similar equipment.

D. "City Manager" means the City Manager or his or her designee.

E. "Campsite" means a collection of items that are used or intended to be used for temporary habitation outdoors. Campsites contain camping facilities and/or camping paraphernalia.

F. "Exigent circumstance" means any circumstance in which there is an imminent threat to life, health, safety, or infrastructure which must be immediately addressed.

G. "Hazardous item" means items that present a health or safety risk including but not limited to toxic sharps, chemicals, soiled or moldy items, perishable items, controlled substances, contraband, trash or debris, and any items co-mingled with these listed items.

H. "Personal property" means (1) any item having apparent value of $50.00 or more; or (2) any item that can reasonably be identified as belonging to an individual and that has apparent value or utility, including but not limited to eyeglasses, operational wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, other medical equipment, bicycles, scooters, strollers in good repair, uncontaminated and habitable tents, photographs, identification cards, bank statements, and legal papers.

I. "Public property" includes, but is not limited to, a public park, public park facility, public parking lots, public passageways, public rights-of-way, publicly owned landscaped areas, public parkways, public medians, public greenbelts, other government-owned properties located within the City.

J. "Special event" includes, but is not limited to, programs operated by City departments, youth or school events, marathons or other sporting events, and other scouting activities.

(Ord. No. 362, § 2, 11-12-2024)

A. It is unlawful and a public nuisance for any person to camp, occupy camp facilities, or use camp paraphernalia on any public property or any private property.

B. The City Manager may, as provided in Section 4.100.050, issue a temporary permit to allow camping on public or private property in connection with a special event.

A. The City Manager, may in his or her discretion, issue a permit to establish, maintain and operate a camp facility in connection with a special event.

B. The City Manager may consult with various departments, the county health officer, and the public prior to issuing any temporary permit.

(Ord. No. 362, § 2, 11-12-2024)

A. The City may remove personal property, camp paraphernalia, camp facilities, and all other property where a person is engaged in unlawful camping in accordance with the following procedures:

1. A written notice to vacate shall be posted on each tent or structure in a conspicuous manner at least 48 hours before beginning campsite removal. The notice to vacate shall include the following information:

a. Posting date and time;

b. Location;

c. "Vacate by" date and time;

d. Directions on how to retrieve the collected property and a telephone number for assistance;

e. Date by which collected property must be retrieved from the City before it is discarded; and

f. Removal start and end dates.

2. Removal work shall begin no earlier than the date written on the notice to vacate. If removal work does not begin accordingly, a new notice to vacate must be reposted before removal operations may begin.

3. Any person who returns to a campsite during abatement shall be allowed to remove their personal property from the site. Any personal property that the individual leaves behind will be deemed abandoned.

4. Time-stamped photographs or videos should be taken before, during, and after removal work has been completed.

5. Personal property that is not a hazardous item shall be time-stamped photographed and inventoried by describing and labeling the items and identifying the campsite location and removal date. Any hazardous item shall be discarded.

6. Collected personal property shall be stored in a secured location for not less than 60 days. Items not retrieved by the owner within 60 days shall be deemed abandoned and may be discarded or recycled.

B. Under exigent circumstances, the City may remove personal property, camp paraphernalia, camp facilities, and all other property where a person is engaged in unlawful camping without a prior written notice to vacate.

1. A written notice shall be posted in a conspicuous manner after removal. The notice must contain the following information:

a. Date and time of removal;

b. Location;

c. Directions on how to retrieve the collected property and a telephone number for assistance; and

d. Date by which collected property must be retrieved from the City before it is discarded.

3. Time-stamped photographs or videos should be taken before, during, and after removal work has been completed.

4. Personal property that is not a hazardous item shall be time-stamped photographed and inventoried by describing and labeling the items and identifying the campsite location and removal date. Any hazardous item shall be discarded.

5. Collected property shall be stored in a secured location for not less than 60 days. Items not retrieved by the owner within 60 days shall be deemed abandoned and may be discarded or recycled.

(Ord. No. 362, § 2, 11-12-2024)

A. It is unlawful and a public nuisance for any person to store personal property, including camp facilities and camp paraphernalia, on any public property or any private property without the written consent of the owner, except as otherwise provided by resolution or ordinance of the City Council.

B. The City may remove unlawfully stored personal property in violation of this Section in accordance with the following procedures:

1. A written notice of removal shall be posted on or near the personal property in a conspicuous manner at least 24 hours before beginning removal. The notice of removal shall include the following information:

a. Posting date and time;

b. Location;

c. "Remove by" date and time;

d. General description of unlawfully stored personal property;

e. Directions on how to retrieve the collected property and a telephone number for assistance; and

f. Date of removal.

2. Removal work shall begin no earlier than the date written on the notice of removal. If removal work does not begin accordingly, a new notice of removal must be reposted before removal operations may begin.

3. Any person who claims the personal property during the process of removal shall be allowed to remove their personal property from the lawfully stored location. Any personal property that the individual leaves behind will be deemed abandoned.

4. Personal property that is not a hazardous item shall be time-stamped photographed and inventoried by describing and labeling the items and identifying the unlawfully stored location and removal date. Any hazardous item shall be discarded.

5. Collected personal property shall be stored in a secured location for not less than 60 days. Items not retrieved by the owner within 60 days shall be deemed abandoned and may be discarded or recycled.

C. Under exigent circumstances, the City may remove unlawfully stored personal property without a notice of removal.

1. A written notice shall be posted in a conspicuous manner after removal. The notice must contain the following information:

a. Date and time of removal;

b. Location;

c. General description of unlawfully stored personal property; and

d. Directions on how to retrieve the collected property and a telephone number for assistance; and

e. Date by which collected property must be retrieved from the City before it is discarded.

2. Personal property that is not a hazardous item shall be time-stamped photographed and inventoried by describing and labeling the items and identifying the unlawfully stored location and removal date. Any hazardous item shall be discarded.

3. Collected personal property shall be stored in a secured location for not less than 60 days. Items not retrieved by the owner within 60 days shall be deemed abandoned and may be discarded or recycled.

(Ord. No. 362, § 2, 11-12-2024)

A. Nothing in this Section is intended to prohibit or make unlawful, activities of any owner of private property or other lawful user of private property that are normally associated with and incidental to the lawful and authorized use of private property for residential and/or other purposes.

B. Nothing in this Section is intended to prohibit or make unlawful, activities of a property owner or other lawful user if such activities are expressly authorized by the City's comprehensive zoning ordinance or other laws, ordinances, and regulations.

(Ord. No. 362, § 2, 11-12-2024)

A. Any person in violation of this Chapter shall be given a verbal or written warning before an infraction citation is issued. Enforcement personnel shall make good faith effort to contact the person and provide a reasonable opportunity to cure the violation. The warning shall describe the activity constituting a violation of this Chapter, the action required to fix the violation, and the date and time by which the violation must be cured in order to avoid subsequent violations and penalties.

B. Violation of this Chapter shall be an infraction. In the Court's discretion, alternative penalties, including but not limited to a reasonable amount of community service, may be imposed.

C. Any violation of this Chapter which would otherwise be an infraction is a misdemeanor if a person has been convicted of an infraction under this Section within one year immediately preceding the date of the first violation.

(Ord. No. 369, § 31, 7-22-2025; Ord. No. 362, § 2, 11-12-2024)