Phoenix Code Chapter 23-48 prohibits camping or sleeping on public property in defined zones, including near schools, shelters, and parks. Adopted in 2024 after litigation over The Zone, the ordinance creates time and place limits.
Phoenix City Council adopted an urban-camping ordinance in 2024 codified at Phoenix City Code Chapter 23, Article XXXVI, restricting camping, sitting, lying, or sleeping on sidewalks and public rights-of-way within 500 feet of schools, shelters, parks, and certain businesses. Enforcement requires officers to first offer shelter consistent with Martin v. Boise. The ordinance followed a state-court order requiring Phoenix to abate the Zone encampment near 12th Avenue and Madison Street. Critics call it criminalization; supporters point to public-health hazards. Tickets are civil first, with criminal penalties for repeat refusal after a shelter offer.
First citation typically civil infraction with a warning and shelter offer. Refusal of shelter may escalate to a Class 1 misdemeanor with up to 6 months jail and $2,500 fine, though Phoenix prosecutors emphasize diversion.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Phoenix, AZ
Phoenix Chapter 23 bans obstructing sidewalks but the Ninth Circuit's Martin v. Boise decision prohibits punishing involuntary sitting or lying when no shelt...
Phoenix, AZ
Phoenix Office of Homeless Solutions and Public Works run StreetWorks encampment cleanups to address human waste, biohazards, and trash. Outreach teams give ...
Phoenix, AZ
Phoenix Bridge Housing program funds interim shelter beds at sites including the Human Services Campus and the Key Campus, operating under Arizona Department...
See how Phoenix's lamc §41.18 encampment rule rules stack up against other locations.
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