Signal Hill Municipal Code Ch. 12.14 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. 2023-11-1545 § 9 (part), 2023)

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 chapter. 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, 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.

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

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

"Street" means the same as defined in Section 1.04.010 of this code. (Ord. 2023-11-1545 § 9 (part), 2023)

It is unlawful for any person to camp, occupy camp facilities, or use camp paraphernalia on any public property within the city, except as mandated by applicable law.

(Ord. 2024-07-1550 § 4 (part), 2024: Ord. 2023-11-1545 § 9 (part), 2023)

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 mandated by applicable law.

(Ord. 2024-07-1550 § 4 (part), 2024: Ord. 2023-11-1545 § 9 (part), 2023)

This chapter 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. 2024-07-1550 § 4 (part), 2024: Ord. 2023-11-1545 § 9 (part), 2023)