Jackson Municipal Code Ch. 8.28 Camping Within City Limits

This chapter is intended to protect the public health, welfare, and safety by reserving open spaces and facilities within the city limits for their intended purposes. 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 their intended purposes and is deleterious to the public peace, health, safety, and welfare. The use of these areas for camping obstructs the intended uses for the public at large, contributes to blight, and can cause damage to public property. This chapter is intended to avoid unsafe and potentially disorderly conditions, unsanitary and unhealthful conditions, and the degradation or destruction of open spaces and facilities within the city.

(Ord. 712 §1, 2019)

Unless it is apparent from the context that another meaning is intended, the following words, when used in this chapter, shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them by this section:

"Camp facilities"

include, but are not limited to, tents, huts, or temporary shelters.

"Camp paraphernalia"

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

"Camp" and "camping"

mean the placement, construction, or maintenance on public or private property for the purpose of making a living accommodation for one or more persons and for one or more nights, the following: tents, tarpaulins, hand-built sheds and structures with metal or other heavy roofing, temporary or semi-permanent shelters, house trailers, motor vehicles or parts thereof, trailers, cooking facilities, cots, ground covers, bedding, hammocks, backpacks, sleeping bags and other equipment of a similar nature used to live temporarily in the outdoors.

"Public property"

means any publicly owned property in the city, whether improved or unimproved, including, but not limited to, 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, 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.

"Vehicle"

shall be defined, for purposes of this chapter, by Vehicle Code Section 670 of the State of California as it now exists or may hereafter be amended.

(Ord. 712 §1, 2019; Ord. 731, 11/12/2024; Ord. 739, 10/27/2025)

A. Except as may be permitted within municipal parks and other municipal locations by the public works superintendent, or designee, it is unlawful to camp upon any public property owned by the city, including, without limitation, streets, parking structures, easements, open space, parks, dump sites, creek beds, electric utility substations, parking lots, corporation yards, Petkovich Park, Detert Park, Kennedy Tailing Wheels Park, Gold Ridge Park, Main St. between North St. and the intersection of Water St./Broadway, and the public restrooms on Highway 49.

B. Except as otherwise permitted under the Jackson Municipal Code, it is unlawful for any person to sleep in any vehicle parked on any public street, alley way, or parking area, or any privately owned parking area used for the parking of customers of any business enterprise without the consent of the owner of such business enterprise, except for in exigent circumstances, including, without limitation, where it would be unsafe for a driver to continue driving, natural disasters, man-made disasters, or incidents of domestic violence. In cases of exigent circumstances, this provision shall not be enforced for twenty-four hours or; in the case of natural disasters, man-made disasters, or other similar public safety emergencies, until the exigent circumstances abates.

C. It is unlawful for any person to sit, sleep, lie, or camp on any public street, road, or bike path, or on any sidewalk in a manner that impedes passage within the meaning of the Americans with Disabilities Act.[1]

[1]

Editor's Note: See 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq.

(Ord. 712 §1, 2019; Ord. 731, 11/12/2024; Ord. 739, 10/27/2025)

It is 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. 712 §1, 2019)

A. Except as otherwise provided in this section, it is unlawful to camp upon private property within the city.

B. This section shall not apply to persons camping upon their own land or to persons camping with the written consent of the owner of the land, provided that such written consent is in their possession at the time and is shown upon demand of any peace officer and is not otherwise prohibited by the Jackson Municipal Code. No person shall camp, or permit another to camp, on private property for a period of time exceeding seven consecutive days without an interruption of at least seven consecutive noncamping days. For purposes of this section, camping for any portion of a day shall count as a full camping day.

C. This section shall not apply to persons lawfully camping within campgrounds or trailer parks pursuant to Chapter 17.64 of the Jackson Municipal Code nor shall it be construed to waive or preempt any requirement or authorization provided under Chapter 17.64 of the Jackson Municipal Code.

(Ord. 712 §1, 2019)

Any campsite established in violation of this chapter is declared to be a public nuisance, and the chief of police, after consultation with appropriate city officials and upon a determination that such a campsite constitutes an immediate threat to the health, safety or welfare of persons in the city, including persons using the campsite, is authorized and empowered to remove any such campsite forthwith in accordance with applicable laws. If persons are occupying the campsite at the time, then before removing the campsite, the chief of police, or the officer designated by the chief, shall warn the person or persons occupying the campsite that they are in violation of this chapter and shall give them the opportunity to remove the campsite forthwith.

(Ord. 712 §1, 2019)