Decatur, GA Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)

Section 86-21, 'Urban camping and improper use of public spaces,' sits in Chapter 86 of the Code of Ordinances for the City of Decatur, DeKalb County, Georgia, adopted by Ordinance No. O-97-20 in 1997 and amended in 2017 and 2022. It defines 'camp' as residing in or using a public street, sidewalk or park for private living accommodations: erecting a tent or other temporary shelter, sleeping in one spot for more than 60 minutes, or regularly cooking meals there. 'Storing personal property' means leaving belongings such as bedrolls, luggage or backpacks unattended for more than an hour, though parking a bicycle does not count.

'Public park' reaches every municipal park, playground, plaza, attraction and monument the city owns; 'public street' is defined broadly to include public sidewalks, benches, parking lots and medians. Subsection (b) makes it unlawful to camp or store personal property in any city-owned park. Before anyone can be arrested, subsection (e) requires the city to give a written warning and a chance to stop; only a continued refusal after that warning exposes a person to arrest. Because the City of Decatur covers only about four square miles, this ban applies solely inside the city limits: a person with a Decatur mailing address who is actually in unincorporated DeKalb County, Avondale Estates, or another nearby community is governed by DeKalb County's ordinance, not this section.