Solano County Municipal Code Art. III Camping or Squatting

19-200 Authority and purpose

It shall be the policy of the County of Solano to protect public and private property within the unincorporated area of the County from the destruction and littering that may accompany camping or squatting. Public roads and areas within the county should be readily accessible and available to residents and the public at large. This article is enacted to prevent degradation of public and private lands and to ensure that such lands are utilized for their intended purpose. It is also enacted to ensure that proper health and safety accommodations are provided to those who lawfully camp.

(Ord. No. 1675, § 1)

19-210 Definitions

For purposes of this article, the words and phrases set forth below shall have the following meanings:

(a) Camping means to establish or maintain on public or private property a temporary or permanent place for cooking, sleeping, or storing personal belongings either: outdoors, with or without shelter; in, on, or under any structure not intended for human occupancy; in, on, or under any parked vehicle; or in, on, or under any abandoned or unoccupied structure. For purposes of this definition, establishing or maintaining a place for sleeping shall include setting up bedding, including, but not limited to, sleeping bags, blankets, mattresses, tents, hammocks, and cots for the purpose of sleeping. For purposes of this definition, personal belongings includes, but is not limited to, clothing, sleeping bags, bed rolls, blankets, sheets, luggage, backpacks, kitchen utensils, cookware, and similar material.

(b) Squatting means unlawfully settling on another’s land without legal title or authority to do so, or entering upon another’s land in bad faith claiming the right to do so by virtue of any title of one’s own or by virtue of some agreement with another whom one believes to hold title.

(c) Camp facilities include, but are not limited to, a vehicle which is a motor home, travel trailer, truck camper, or camping trailer with or without motive power, designed for human habitation, for recreation, travel accommodations purposes or emergency occupancy, tents, huts, and temporary shelters.

(d) Camp paraphernalia includes but is not limited to tarpaulins, cots, beds, sleeping bags, hammocks, or similar equipment.

(Ord. No. 1675, § 1)

19-220 Camping regulations

(a) No person shall camp within a county park without a valid, unexpired, unrevoked permit. The parks division may at any time revoke the camping permit of any person if the campsite occupied by such person is not maintained by that person in a reasonably clean, sanitary, and attractive manner.

(b) No person shall camp within a county park except within designated camping areas.

(c) The holder of a camping permit shall affix it to the person’s campsite marker. No person shall move, mutilate, or destroy any campsite marker or permit without the prior consent of the parks division.

(d) Camping permits shall be issued so as to expire after a maximum of fourteen (14) days. All camping permits expire at the posted time on the expiration day. No person shall camp for more than fourteen (14) days in any thirty (30) day period, and, once a person has camped for fourteen (14) days within any thirty (30) day period, that person shall not be permitted to camp for a period of thirty (30) additional days.

(e) No person shall, without the prior written approval of the parks division, park more than two (2) motor vehicles at any one (1) campsite.

(f) Quiet shall be observed in all camping areas of a county park between the hours of 10:00 p. m. and 7:00 a. m. During these hours, no person shall make, either verbally or mechanically, any excessive noise. For purposes of this subdivision, excessive noise shall mean any noise that a park ranger finds, in his or her sole discretion, has disturbed, may disturb, or will disturb members of the public or wildlife.

(g) No person under the age of eighteen (18) shall camp within a county park unless accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, adult leader (e.g., teacher, coach, or scoutmaster) of a school or other youth group, or the parent or legal guardian of another minor camping in the same group.

(Ord. No. 1675, §1; Ord. No. 1847, §10)

19-230 Camping or squatting prohibited on public property

(a) No person shall camp or squat in any unincorporated County area not designated by the parks division as a campground.

(b) Except as may be permitted within county parks by the parks services manager, it shall be unlawful to camp or squat upon any public property owned or maintained by the county, including, without limitation, streets, roads, easements, parks, dump sites, river banks or shores, creek beds, electric utility substations, parking lots, or corporation yards. No person shall, on any public property owned or maintained by the county, set up, establish, or maintain a tent, shack, house trailer, motor home, camp trailer, camper, or any other temporary or permanent shelter for the purpose of camping or squatting, nor shall any person leave in any such place any movable structure or special vehicle to be used or that could be used for such a purpose, such as a house trailer, tent, automobile, or similar vehicles. Violation of this section is a misdemeanor.

(Ord. No. 1675, § 1)

19-240 Camping or squatting prohibited on private property

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, it is unlawful to camp or squat upon private property within the unincorporated area of the County. No person shall set up, establish, or maintain a tent, shack, motor home, camp trailer, camper, or any other temporary or permanent shelter for the purpose of camping or squatting, nor shall any person leave upon any private property any movable structure of special vehicle to be used or that could be used for such purpose, such as a tent or automobile, or similar vehicles. Violation of this section is a misdemeanor.

(b) This section shall not apply to persons camping upon their own land or camping with the owner of the 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 law enforcement officer, and provided that all local zoning ordinances of the County are met and all Health and Safety Code sections of the State are complied with.

(c) This section shall not apply to persons lawfully camping within campgrounds, mobile home parks, recreational vehicle parks, or trailer parks specifically designated and approved for such use pursuant to the Solano County Code.

(Ord. No. 1675, § 1)

19-250 Campfires

(a) No person shall kindle or maintain an open campfire or bonfire, except on park property as designated by the parks services manager.

(b) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to permit fires otherwise prohibited by law or to negate the requirement for burning permits otherwise required by law.

(Ord. No. 1675, § 1)

19-260 Enforcement

The law enforcement officer enforcing this article shall issue a citation to any person camping or squatting on public or private property.

(Ord. No. 1675, § 1)

19-270 Severability

If a court of competent jurisdiction deems any portion of this article invalid or unenforceable, that portion shall be severed from the remainder which shall remain in full force and effect.”

(Ord. No. 1675, §1)