Fayetteville, NC Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)

Section 17-2 defines 'camp' broadly: sleeping, preparing to sleep, laying down bedding, storing personal belongings, or parking a vehicle, motor home, trailer, or vessel for living-accommodation purposes. Camping under that definition is 'deemed a public nuisance' by the ordinance itself, and the city may summarily remove a temporary shelter, bedding, or personal belongings once that nuisance finding applies. Camping is unlawful on any city-owned property, including streets, sidewalks, parking lots and structures, easements, open spaces, parks, cemeteries, corporation yards, and land within or below 100 feet above the ordinary high-water mark of any lake, waterway, river, stream, pond, or reservoir, whenever an overnight shelter with available space is open to the person free of charge.

Separately, any encampment on public property that the city deems a high risk to public health and safety can be posted 'No Trespass,' then removed and cleaned, independent of shelter availability. 7 to allow camping tied to an approved special event on city-owned or private property. Enforcement rests with any sworn law enforcement officer. The ordinance, adopted by Ordinance No. S2022-014 on August 8, 2022, states its purpose is keeping streets, parks, and other areas 'clean, sanitary, and accessible' while protecting public health, safety, and welfare, and it explicitly does not intend to interfere with otherwise lawful ordinary uses of public or private property.