Baltimore's encampment cleanup protocol, run by the Mayor's Office of Homeless Services with DPW and BCHD, requires advance written notice, on-site outreach, property storage, and Continuum-of-Care coordination before any sanitation cleanup.
Baltimore's encampment-response protocol — published by the Mayor's Office of Homeless Services (MOHS) and coordinated through the Homeless Roundtable Planning Committee (HRPC) — requires at least 72-hour written posted notice before any non-emergency cleanup, an on-site outreach attempt to connect residents to shelter and services, and storage of personal property for at least 30 days at a designated facility. Department of Public Works (DPW) handles the sanitation work; Baltimore City Health Department (BCHD) addresses public-health concerns. Emergency clean-ups are reserved for biohazards or imminent-danger situations and still trigger property-storage rules. The protocol reflects Fourth-Circuit Eighth-Amendment limits on criminalizing homelessness when shelter is unavailable.
Failure to follow the cleanup protocol can result in lost or destroyed personal property claims, MOHS administrative review, and federal civil-rights litigation alleging unconstitutional seizures.
Baltimore, MD
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See how Baltimore's encampment sanitation rules stack up against other locations.
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