After closing Coronado Park in August 2022, Albuquerque adopted a structured encampment-cleanup protocol with 72-hour notice, property storage, and outreach offers, but it actively dismantles unauthorized encampments on public land.
Albuquerque's Solid Waste Management Department and Albuquerque Community Safety run a joint encampment-removal program. Procedures, posted on cabq.gov, generally require 72 hours of posted written notice before cleanup, an offer of shelter through the Gateway Center, storage of personal property for at least 90 days, and a process for residents to reclaim belongings. The program intensified after the August 2022 closure of Coronado Park, then the city's largest unsanctioned encampment, and now operates citywide. Cleanups are coordinated with the Bernalillo County Coalition to End Homelessness. Critics have challenged specific sweeps in litigation, citing Fourth Amendment property and due-process concerns.
Returning to a posted site after cleanup, leaving hazardous waste or fire hazards, or interfering with crews can result in citations, possible arrest, and disposal rather than storage of remaining property.
Albuquerque, NM
Albuquerque enforces sidewalk obstruction and pedestrian-right-of-way rules, but the city does not punish sitting or lying alone where shelter beds are unava...
Albuquerque, NM
Albuquerque's Gateway Center on Gibson Boulevard, which opened phased operations in 2023, serves as the city's central low-barrier shelter and bridge-housing...
See how Albuquerque's encampment sanitation rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.