Fort Worth, TX Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)

The ordinance defines CAMP broadly as residing, dwelling, or otherwise remaining temporarily in a place using TRANSITORY SHELTER, a term that covers vehicles, tents, tarpaulins, lean-tos, sleeping bags, bedrolls, blankets, or any other form of cover besides ordinary clothing, though a recreational vehicle or semi-truck legally parked at a truck stop for fuel and services is carved out. The prohibition has three prongs: camping on non-residential private property without the owner's authorization; camping on residential private property that lacks a permanent dwelling, potable water, or toilet facilities, without authorization; and camping even on a fully-serviced residential lot with a permanent dwelling, still without authorization.

AUTHORIZATION must be express written permission from the property owner or the owner's agent. It is an affirmative defense that the person charged actually owns the property. Any site where camping occurs remains subject to every other city ordinance, including zoning and health and safety codes, so a camp does not shield the occupant from separate citations. The ordinance, adopted by Ord. 23839-09-2019 effective September 25, 2019, reaches only private property; camping in public parks, rights-of-way, and other public places in Fort Worth is addressed separately under state law, since Texas created a statewide public-camping ban in 2021 that cities are required to enforce.