Coconut Creek, FL Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)
Key Facts
- Where banned
- All public property; private property without owner consent
- Vehicle sleeping
- Unlawful on any public street, right-of-way or parking lot
- Compliance window
- 2 hours to collect belongings after an order
- Property storage
- 30 calendar days, then disposal under F.S. Ch. 705
- Trespass warning
- Up to 1 year first violation; up to 2 years after
- Adopted
- Ordinance 2024-041, October 24, 2024
Summary
In the City of Coconut Creek, Florida, camping is prohibited on all public property and on private property without the owner's consent, and sleeping in a vehicle on public property is unlawful. Officers must first offer medical or social services and shelter transport, then allow two hours to gather belongings, before any warning or arrest.
(a)Public camping is prohibited on all public property, except as may be specifically authorized by the appropriate governmental authority.(b)Public camping is prohibited on all private property in the city provided, however, that camping is permitted on such property with the permission and consent of the property owner.(c)It shall be unlawful for any person to camp, lodge, or sleep in, on, or about any automobile, truck, camping, or recreation vehicle, or similar vehicle in any public street, public way, right-of-way, parking lot, or other public property, within the limits of the city. ... (a)Preliminary enforcement procedures. Before issuing a warning or making an arrest of a person for a violation of section 17-91, "Prohibitions," an officer shall implement the following preliminary enforcement procedures: ... (3)The officer shall provide a reasonable time (two (2) hours) after issuance of the request or order for the person to pick up his or her belongings and comply.
Full Breakdown
Article V of Chapter 17, adopted by Ordinance 2024-041 on October 24, 2024, bans public camping or sleeping in the City of Coconut Creek. Section 17-90 defines the term broadly: sleeping, camping or lodging outdoors, pitching or occupying a tent or other temporary shelter, or residing overnight in an outdoor space without one. Evidence of camping includes a person inside a tent or sleeping bag, a person covered by blankets, newspapers or cardboard, a campfire, a person who says on waking that he or she has no home, and an area used to dispose of human waste. Public property covers rights-of-way, parks, greenways, natural areas, streets, sidewalks, trails, transit facilities, underpasses and parking lots.
Section 17-91 sets three prohibitions. Camping on public property is barred unless the appropriate governmental authority specifically authorizes it. Camping on private property is barred unless the property owner consents. Sleeping or lodging in a car, truck or recreational vehicle on any public street, right-of-way, parking lot or other public property is unlawful.
Section 17-92 fixes the enforcement sequence. An officer, meaning a sworn law enforcement officer or an authorized agent designated under Chapter 2, Article V, first tries to learn whether the person needs medical or social services, including mental health, drug or alcohol services, and offers transport to a medical facility or public shelter. A person who declines, or needs none, gets an oral order to stop and two hours to pick up belongings. Someone who accepts transport or complies in time is not charged. Property left behind, except items in an unsanitary condition, is inventoried and stored by the City for up to 30 calendar days. Under section 17-93, anything not reclaimed within 30 days is deemed abandoned and disposed of under F.S. Ch. 705. Under section 17-95, a resident, a business in the City or the Florida Attorney General can give written notice of an individual regularly violating the article, using the e-mail address or electronic method the city manager displays on the City website, with the location, dates and a description or photograph of the alleged violator.
Violations & Fines
Section 17-94 sets the consequences once the 17-92 steps fail. A first violation can bring a trespass warning of up to one year, and a second or later violation a warning of up to two years, with arrest under F.S. Ch. 810 for returning. A violator can also be arrested and charged with a public nuisance under F.S. § 125.0231, F.S. § 823.01 and F.S. § 823.05. The city manager can authorize a warned person in writing to enter for First Amendment purposes when no reasonable alternative location exists, and that authorization cannot be unreasonably denied.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone sleep in a car on a Coconut Creek street?
What must an officer do before a warning or arrest?
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Coconut Creek
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