Fresno, CA Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)

Sec. ' Sec. 10-1702(a) then makes it 'unlawful and a public nuisance for any person to camp, occupy camp facilities, or use camp paraphernalia' on any public property or any private property, defining 'camp facilities' broadly to include tents, tarps, cardboard structures, vehicles used for camping, and temporary shelter, and 'camp paraphernalia' to include bedding, sleeping bags, cots, and cooking equipment. Narrow carve-outs exist: friends or family may camp overnight on private residential property with the owner's consent for one night only, ordinary and lawful uses of private property aren't swept in, mere possession or transport of camping gear isn't banned on its own, and the City Manager can issue a temporary special-event permit under Sec.

10-1704. The same section separately bans washing one's body or belongings in a fountain, and cross-references the public urination/defecation ban in Sec. 9-2512. Sec. 10-1703(a) sets the penalty at up to one year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine per violation, plus the cost of transporting and storing the violator's property, and lets the City Attorney bring a civil abatement action; officers may instead divert an offender to a mental-health, housing, or substance-abuse services facility, and courts are encouraged to grant diversion or probation conditioned on completing a rehabilitation program.