El Paso, TX Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)

060, part of the parks and recreation chapter, bars camping outright: no person may camp in a city park, or set up a tent, shack, or other shelter, or lay out a bedroll or other sleeping equipment there, except with city council's approval by resolution. The only built-in carve-outs are camping in permanent cabins or structures the city itself provides for that purpose, and department-produced activities or events. To camp legally, a person must submit a written request to the parks director, who forwards it for placement on a city council agenda following the council's normal rules and posting requirements; council then decides by resolution whether to allow it, and may attach whatever conditions it judges necessary to protect public health, safety, and welfare.

Because approval requires an affirmative council vote rather than a staff permit, the practical effect is a near-total ban on camping anywhere in the park system, including trails, medians classified as park land, and Scenic Drive. 24 provision predates that state law and operates through the city's own parks-management authority rather than the state criminal statute.