Casper, WY Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)
Key Facts
- Public property
- Camping banned without owning entity's permission
- Private property limit
- 7 consecutive days or 14 days/year
- Waterway buffer
- No camping within 100 ft of stream/North Platte River
- Camping defined
- Tent, vehicle, or portable shelter, any length of time
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor under general Chapter 1.28 penalty
Summary
Casper's Municipal Code Section 9.48.010 bans camping on any public property in the city without permission from the entity that owns it, and limits private-property camping to seven consecutive days or fourteen days a year with the landowner's written consent. Camping within 100 feet of a stream or the North Platte River is barred entirely except in a permitted public campground.
A."Camping" means staying overnight or otherwise taking up residence for any length of time in an open space, tent, vehicle, or other temporary, mobile, or portable shelter.B.It is unlawful to camp on or in any public property in the city of Casper, unless permitted by any person or persons designated by the public entity which owns the public property or in a designated campground of the public entity.C.It is unlawful to camp on private property within the City of Casper, except with the express written permission of the property owner or his agent. Any such camping must be temporary in nature, must not exceed a period of seven consecutive days or a total of fourteen days in a calendar year, and must be in such locations where camping otherwise may be conducted in accordance with other applicable city laws.D.It is unlawful to camp within one hundred feet of a stream or the North Platte River within the City of Casper, except as may be allowed in a properly permitted public campground, or otherwise approved by the appropriate government authority.
Full Breakdown
Section 9.48.010 of the Casper Municipal Code defines "camping" broadly as staying overnight or otherwise taking up residence for any length of time in an open space, tent, vehicle, or other temporary, mobile, or portable shelter, covering both a pitched tent and a vehicle used to sleep in. Subsection B bars camping on or in any public property in the city unless the public entity that owns the property, or a person it designates, permits it, or the camping occurs in a designated campground. Subsection C allows camping on private property only with the express written permission of the property owner or agent, and even then caps it at seven consecutive days or a cumulative fourteen days in a calendar year, and requires the location to otherwise comply with the city's other laws.
Subsection D adds an environmental buffer: camping within one hundred feet of a stream or the North Platte River, the waterway running through downtown Casper, is unlawful unless it takes place in a properly permitted public campground or is otherwise approved by the appropriate government authority. The section traces to the prior code and was most recently amended by Ordinance No. 16-19 in 2019 and Ordinance No. 19-23 in 2023. No specific penalty is written into Section 9.48.010 itself, so a violation falls back on Chapter 1.28's general penalty provision, making unlawful camping a misdemeanor, with each day of a continuing encampment treated as a separate violation under Section 1.28.020.
Violations & Fines
Setting up a tent, sleeping in a vehicle, or otherwise taking up residence on city-owned property without permission from the owning entity violates Section 9.48.010(B). Camping on private land without the owner's written consent, or beyond seven consecutive or fourteen total days a year, violates subsection C, and camping within 100 feet of a stream or the North Platte River violates subsection D. Absent a specific penalty, violations are misdemeanors under Chapter 1.28.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone sleep in their car overnight on a Casper street?
How long can a homeowner let someone camp in their backyard?
Why is camping near the North Platte River treated differently?
What penalty applies if there is no fine listed in the camping section?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Casper
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