Auburn, WA Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)

165, a homeless encampment hosted by a religious organization is allowed only as an accessory use to that organization's own property, and only after the city receives at least 30 days' advance notice and the sponsor holds a public informational meeting. The site criteria in subsection (A)(2) require the property to be large enough for sanitary portable toilets sized to capacity guidelines, hand-washing stations placed by both the toilets and the food areas, and refuse receptacles with trash enclosures. Anyone using portable toilets must submit proof of a maintenance service contract, and the sponsor must show a water provider agreement or a documented water source on the site plan.

10 ACC, no permanent structures may be built, and population is capped at 100 residents unless the city sets a lower limit for site conditions. Screening rules require a minimum six-foot buffer between the encampment and adjoining rights-of-way or residential property, and the portable toilets themselves must be separately screened, with the city approving the screening method. Fire and life-safety conditions layer on top of sanitation: flame-retardant roofing and wall material, no open cooking or heating fires, and fire-department-approved extinguisher counts and vehicle access. The city and the King County health department may inspect the site without prior notice to confirm compliance, and any single encampment may run no longer than 120 consecutive days, with citywide encampment days capped at six months in any 24-month period.

Once an encampment ends, the hosting organization is on the clock: cleanup of the site is required within seven calendar days of termination, restoring the property before any new use.