City parks are closed at night, so no one should be in them
overnight. Creeks are protected waterways, and state law prohibits anyone from
depositing trash or debris within 150 feet of them. For this reason, people
cannot set up camps within 150 feet of the creeks or do anything that may
result in trash getting in the waterway. Additionally, the City prohibits camping within 600 feet of active groundwater wells in order to protect water quality. Beyond parks, creeks and active wellheads, the City can require people to move
if they are interfering with the public’s use of a public facility (such as
blocking a sidewalk), however, the City cannot prohibit individuals from
sleeping on public property. If an encampment on public land is causing health
and safety issues, the City can post a 72 hour notice, remove belongings left
behind and do a camp clean-up. In these cases, the City stores valuable belongings
for 90 days so that the owners have the opportunity to retrieve them.