Coeur d'Alene, ID Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)

Section 4.25.090 defines camping broadly. Camp or camping means setting up or remaining at a site to establish a place of dwelling, lodging or living accommodation; sleeping in or adjacent to a tent or sleeping bag, or under materials such as a bedroll, blanket, cardboard or newspapers; sleeping out of doors; cooking over an open flame or fire out of doors; bathing in public for personal hygiene except in facilities provided for that purpose; or using a tent or other temporary structure to store personal belongings. A campsite is any place where bedding, a stove or fire is established or maintained, or where personal belongings are stored, whether or not a tent, lean-to, shack, structure or vehicle is involved.

Public property means all property owned, leased or maintained by the City, including the entire width of any highway, roadway, street or alley publicly owned or maintained, sidewalks, trails, parks, beaches, boardwalks or docks, restrooms, parking structures and pavilions. Temporary shelter means any RV, camper, tent, tarp, trailer, lean-to, vehicle or vehicle part, or other structure of any material.

Four exceptions apply. The ban does not reach persons with prior written permission from the City; sleeping in an RV on a street adjacent to a residential property with the permission of the owner or occupant, for a maximum of one week in each calendar year; sleeping or cooking in a public park or beach on a temporary basis, during normal hours of operation, in conjunction with recreational use; or any situation where there is no available overnight shelter. Available overnight shelter means a public or private shelter with overnight space open at no charge to an individual or family unit experiencing homelessness. If a person cannot use the space because of voluntary actions such as intoxication, drug use, unruly behavior or violation of shelter rules, the space is still considered available.

The section as printed contains no storage, notice or cleanup procedure. Related rules sit nearby: parks, beaches and natural areas close from 11:00 P.M. to 5:00 A.M. (§ 4.25.100), and open fires are unlawful outside designated barbecue areas (§ 4.25.050).