Fountain Valley, CA Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)
Key Facts
- Camping
- Unlawful in any public area (Section 8.55.030)
- Storage
- Unlawful to store personal property in a public area
- Holding period
- 60 calendar days for property the city removes
- City parks
- Camping only in designated areas with written permission
- Misdemeanor maximum
- $1,000 fine, six months county jail, or both
- Infraction fines
- Up to $100, then $200, then $500 within one year
- Continuing violation
- Each day is a new and separate violation
Summary
It is unlawful in the City of Fountain Valley, California, to camp in any public area or to store personal property there, including tents, tarps, cots and sleeping bags. The city can remove the property, holds it for 60 calendar days, then can dispose of it. Each day is a separate violation punishable under Chapter 1.16.
It is unlawful for any person to camp in any public area. ... It is unlawful for any person to store personal property, including camp facilities and camp paraphernalia, in any public area. Any personal property, including camp facilities and camp paraphernalia, stored in any public area may be removed by the city. Any personal property, including camp facilities and camp paraphernalia, that is removed by the city will be stored for a period of 60 calendar days unless the property is abandoned or cause exists to destroy or dispose of the property immediately. The city may destroy or otherwise dispose of any personal property, including camp facilities and camp paraphernalia, left in storage for over 60 calendar days. ... It is unlawful for any person to violate any provision of this chapter. Each day a person violates any provision of this chapter shall constitute a new and separate violation. A violation of any provision of this chapter is punishable as provided in Chapter 1.16 of this code.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 8.55 of the Fountain Valley Municipal Code, titled Camping in Public Areas, makes it unlawful for any person to camp in any public area (Section 8.55.030) and unlawful to store personal property in any public area (Section 8.55.040). The chapter's stated purpose in Section 8.55.010 is to keep public streets and areas clean and accessible for the uses they were built for.
The definitions are broad. To camp means to pitch or occupy camp facilities or use camp paraphernalia. Camp facilities include tents, huts and temporary shelters. Camp paraphernalia includes tarpaulins, cots, beds, sleeping bags, hammocks and non-city designated cooking facilities. A public area covers streets, sidewalks and alleyways, parking lots, parking structures and landscaped areas, whether publicly or privately owned, plus privately owned parks, playgrounds, plazas and marketplaces and any other publicly owned or managed property, open to the public or not. Designated public campgrounds and privately owned residential property are excluded.
Cleanup protocol: personal property stored in a public area can be removed by the city. Removed property, including camp facilities and camp paraphernalia, is held for 60 calendar days unless it is abandoned or cause exists to destroy or dispose of it immediately. After 60 days in storage the city can destroy or otherwise dispose of it. Section 8.55.040 sets that storage period but prints no separate advance-notice period. Ordinance 1613 (September 3, 2024) repealed the former Section 8.55.045 exception that Ordinance 1586 had adopted.
Related rules sit elsewhere in the code. Camping in city parks is prohibited outside specially designated areas and needs written permission from the community services director (Section 12.08.090). Property left in a park after closing time follows the same 60-day storage rule (Section 12.08.095). Section 6.30.010 bars using a vehicle, trailer, boat, camper or motor home for human habitation except in an approved trailer park or court.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 8.55 violations are punishable under Chapter 1.16, and each day is a new and separate violation. Section 1.16.010 makes a code violation a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in the county jail, or both. The city attorney or other prosecutor can charge it as an infraction instead: up to $100 for a first violation, $200 for a second within one year, and $500 for each additional violation within one year.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as camping in the City of Fountain Valley?
What happens to belongings the city removes?
Does the ban reach private property in Fountain Valley?
Is sleeping in a vehicle covered by a separate rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fountain Valley
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