Washington County, OR Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)
Key Facts
- Garbage/debris limit
- 100 gallons uncontained max
- Gray/black water dumping
- Prohibited outright
- Camp size cap
- 144 sq ft, one structure/household
- Scope
- Unincorporated county property only
- Exclusion order (infraction)
- Up to 60 days
- Exclusion order (trespass arrest)
- Up to 6 months
Summary
In unincorporated Washington County, camps on county property can't accumulate more than 100 gallons of garbage, debris or hazardous waste, and dumping gray or black water on county land is banned outright under County Code 8.54.050.D.
c.Individuals who camp or are camping may not accumulate more than 100-gallons of garbage, debris, trash, unsanitary or hazardous materials, items of no apparent utility in an uncontained manner.d.Items presenting a danger to others, including uncontained sharps, uncontained human waste or unauthorized connections or taps to private or public utilities are prohibited...f.Dumping of gray water (i.e. wastewater from bathwater, sinks and cooking) or black water (sewage) on County property is prohibited.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Community Development Code: Supplement 2 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 25).
Full Breakdown
D sets sanitation limits on how that camping happens. A camp or camping location may not accumulate more than 100 gallons of garbage, debris, trash, or unsanitary or hazardous materials left uncontained, and items presenting a danger, uncontained sharps, uncontained human waste, or unauthorized taps into private or public utilities, are flatly prohibited. Dumping gray water (bathwater, sink or cooking wastewater) or black water (sewage) on county property is prohibited outright, with no volume threshold at all. The same subsection bars open flames, burning of garbage and bonfires at camps (contained cooking or warming flames may be allowed case-by-case with fire-agency sign-off), and forbids digging, excavating or damaging vegetation on county land.
Camps are also capped at one structure per individual or household occupying no more than 144 square feet. This chapter applies only to county property in the unincorporated area, it does not reach camps inside Hillsboro, Beaverton, Tigard, or the county's other cities, which enforce their own codes. A.
Violations & Fines
A violation is charged, at the enforcement officer's discretion, as a Class D civil infraction under Code Chapter 1.12.210, a citation in lieu of arrest for second-degree criminal trespass under ORS 164.245, or an arrest for that same trespass offense. A civil infraction or in-lieu citation can carry a 60-day exclusion order from the site; a trespass arrest can carry a six-month exclusion order under Section 8.54.070.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much trash can a campsite have on county property?
Can campers dump sink or shower water outside?
Does this apply inside Hillsboro or Beaverton?
What happens if a camp violates the sanitation rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Washington County
Compare Washington County to another location·View the Oregon homelessness & encampment rules overview
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