Homelessness & Encampment Rules in Boulder, CO (2026)
2 verified homelessness & encampment rules for Boulder, Colorado, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Sit-Lie Rules
Boulder does not ban sitting or lying on a sidewalk outright, but Section 5-3-5 makes it a violation to obstruct pedestrian passage, and it specifically treats a pedestrian having to detour around someone sitting or lying in their way as prima facie evidence of an obstruction.
Boulder Sidewalk Obstruction (Sit-Lie) Rule
Some RestrictionsB.R.C. 1981 § 5-3-5
5-3-5. - Obstructing Public Streets, Places or Buildings. (a)No person without legal privilege shall knowingly obstruct vehicular or pedestrian movement in a public place.(b)For the purpose of this section obstruct means to interfere with or prevent, whether alone or with others, convenient or reasonable passage or use. For purposes of this section concerning a public walk, sidewalk or building...
Encampment Sanitation
Boulder bans unauthorized camping citywide under B.R.C. § 5-6-10: no one may camp on city-owned park, parkway, recreation, or open-space land at all, and camping on any other public or private property requires the property owner's or controlling official's advance permission. There is no dedicated sanitation or cleanup procedure written into the section itself; the tool the city uses is the camping prohibition.
Boulder Camping Ban on Public and Private Property
Heavy RestrictionsBoulder Revised Code (B.R.C. 1981) § 5-6-10
(a)No person shall camp within any park, parkway, recreation area, open space, or other city property.(b)No person shall camp within any public property other than city property or any private property without first having obtained:(1)Permission of the authorized officer of such public property; or(2)Permission of the owner of private property. ... (d)For purposes of this section, camp means to...
Looking for Boulder County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Boulder city rules.
Homelessness & Encampment Rules in Boulder County →