Homelessness & Encampment Rules in Santa Cruz County, CA (2026)
1 rule for unincorporated Santa Cruz County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Note: These county rules apply to unincorporated areas of Santa Cruz County. If you live within an incorporated city, that city's own rules apply: see the city list below.
Encampment Sanitation
Santa Cruz County doesn't ban camping countywide; it lets the Board of Supervisors designate specific 'no camping zones' in the unincorporated area, and once a zone is designated under Santa Cruz County Code § 10.16.030, § 10.16.040 makes camping there unlawful. Camping is broadly defined at § 10.16.020 to include sleeping in a parked vehicle, an unoccupied structure or outdoors, and violators face a separate infraction for every day the violation continues.
Santa Cruz County No Camping Zones
Significant RestrictionsSanta Cruz County Code §§ 10.16.020, 10.16.040
'To camp,' and 'camping' mean to establish or maintain at any time a temporary or permanent place for cooking and/or sleeping: (A) Outdoors, with or without the use of shelter; (B) In, on or under any structure not intended for human occupancy; (C) In, on or under any parked vehicle, including an automobile, bus, truck, camper, trailer or recreational vehicle; or (D) In, on or under any abandon...
All Santa Cruz County ordinances
See every category we cover for Santa Cruz County: parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Santa Cruz County Ordinance Hub →