Chelan County, WA Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- Chapter 8.42, Unauthorized Use of County Property
- Camping ban
- Camping on county property outside rest areas is a nuisance
- Non-hazard notice
- 72 hours minimum before removal begins
- Max criminal penalty
- 90 days jail or $1,000 fine
- No-trespass order
- Up to 5 years, issued by law enforcement
- Enforcers
- Sheriff's Office, Designated County Personnel, fire marshal
Summary
In unincorporated Chelan County, camping on any county property outside a legally established camping or rest area is a declared public nuisance under Chapter 8.42. Designated County Personnel, working with the Sheriff's Office, may clear immediate-hazard encampments without notice and dispose of hazardous items and solid waste; unauthorized camping is a misdemeanor and can trigger a five-year written no-trespass order.
§ 8.42.040. Nuisances declared. ... (1) The board of county commissioners deems unauthorized use of county property to be a public nuisance if the unauthorized use: ... (2) Camping within the boundaries of any county property, except at legally established camping or rest areas, is deemed to be a public nuisance. ... § 8.42.190. Encampment removal and cleanup. (1) If inhabitants are present in the encampment, DCP must contact law enforcement to be present for the duration of an encampment removal, or until law enforcement and DCP determine that their presence is no longer necessary. ... (5) DCP may remove and dispose of all items, including, but not limited to, solid waste, hazardous items, and other like material.
Full Breakdown
42 declares county property, including parks, buildings, rights-of-way, parking lots and stormwater facilities, off limits to camping. 040(1) extends the nuisance finding to any unauthorized structure, encroachment or dumped material that endangers travelers, obstructs passage, erodes county property or interferes with maintenance. Designated County Personnel (DCP), a role assigned to county employees and initially routed to the homeless program coordinator, work with the Sheriff's Office and the county fire marshal to inspect and prioritize encampments for removal, weighing proximity to moving vehicles, criminal activity, solid-waste volume and complaints received.
140. 160. 190, DCP documents the cleanup, segregates evidentiary items, hands weapons to law enforcement, and disposes of solid waste and hazardous items, while trying to preserve readily identifiable personal property such as tents, bicycles or medications for the owner. 050 barring a person from the property for up to five years, appealable to a hearings officer and then to Chelan County Superior Court.
Violations & Fines
Knowingly creating, causing or maintaining an unauthorized encampment, or otherwise violating Section 8.42.040, is a misdemeanor under Section 8.42.050(1), as is helping another person do so. Violating a written no-trespass order issued under that section is a separate misdemeanor. Sentencing for a Section 8.42.040 violation caps at ninety days in the county jail, a one-thousand-dollar fine, or both, under Section 8.42.060(8), and the county may also recover its cleanup costs from the person responsible under Section 8.42.080.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is camping allowed on Chelan County property?
How much notice does the county give before removing an encampment?
Can the county remove an encampment without warning?
What happens to belongings left at a cleared encampment?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chelan County
Compare Chelan County to another location·View the Washington homelessness & encampment rules overview
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