Hemet, CA Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Hemet City Code § 53-1
- Prohibits
- Camping and storing belongings on public property
- Property hold
- 30 days minimum, no fee, before disposal
- Exceptions
- Declared emergency, permitted events, zoned campgrounds
- First offense
- Misdemeanor, up to $1,000/6 months, or infraction
- 4th offense
- Mandatory misdemeanor, no infraction reduction
Summary
Hemet City Code § 53-1 bars camping and the unattended storage of personal property, tents, sleeping bags or camp paraphernalia on any public property in the city, including streets, parks, sidewalks and rights-of-way. Before removing belongings, an enforcement officer must post notice and hold the property for at least 30 days at no charge, with contact information for retrieval and homeless services. Violations are punishable as a misdemeanor or reduced infraction.
Camp or camping means the conduct of more than one of the following activities on public property, when it reasonably appears, in light of all circumstances, that a person is using such public or private property for living accommodation purposes: (1)Sleeping or preparing to sleep...; (2)Erecting or using any tent, camp facilities, or building any other form of shelter; (3)Unattended storage of personal belongings...or camp paraphernalia; (4)Making or using any fire...except for in city parks with designated barbeque and cooking areas...; or (5)Doing any digging or earth breaking activities for purpose of creating or improving a shelter. Camping shall be deemed to occur regardless of whether a full night is actually spent occupying any specific location on public property.(c)Camping prohibited. It shall be unlawful for any person to camp on any public property within the city, except as otherwise provided herein.(d)Storage of personal property prohibited.(1)It shall be unlawful for any person to store any personal property, including camp facilities and camp paraphernalia, on any public property within the city, except as otherwise provided herein.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 69 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
"Camp or camping" under § 53-1(b) means conducting more than one of five listed activities on public property when it reasonably appears the person is using the property for living accommodation purposes: sleeping or preparing to sleep, including in a vehicle with obscured windows; erecting a tent or other shelter; unattended storage of belongings such as sleeping bags, luggage or cookware; making or using a fire or flame-producing device outside a designated park barbeque area; or digging to create or improve a shelter. Camping is deemed to occur "regardless of whether a full night is actually spent occupying any specific location."
Subsection (d) governs removal of stored personal property: an enforcement officer must first attempt to notify any readily apparent owner and give a reasonable opportunity to remove belongings, then post notice stating the property's location, the date of the notice, that storage violates the section, that the city will hold the property for at least 30 days before discarding it, and the address, phone number and hours where it can be retrieved free of charge, along with homeless-services contact information. Items posing an immediate health or safety threat, or evidence of a crime, may be discarded immediately without the 30-day hold.
Subsection (e) exempts a declared state of emergency, permitted events, and legally zoned campgrounds. Enforcement under subsection (f) treats a first violation as a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail, though the city attorney may instead charge or reduce it to an infraction: $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second within a year, and $500 for a third, with a fourth violation within the year charged as a misdemeanor that cannot be reduced. The city attorney may also seek a superior court injunction.
Violations & Fines
A first § 53-1 violation is a misdemeanor carrying up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail, though the city attorney typically charges or reduces it to an infraction: $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second within one year, and $500 for a third. A fourth violation within that year must be charged as a misdemeanor and cannot be reduced to an infraction, and the city attorney may separately seek a superior court injunction against repeat violators.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the city just throw away my belongings if I'm camping outside?
Is there ever a lawful way to camp on public property in Hemet?
What happens the fourth time someone is cited for camping?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hemet
California rules heatmap·Compare Hemet to another location·View the California homelessness & encampment rules overview
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