Highlands County, FL Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)

Ordinance No. 24-25-15 added Article VIII, Camping on Public Property, to Chapter 7 of the Highlands County Code. Section 7-150 defines camp as residing or sleeping outdoors or in a temporary shelter, carving out an exception for daytime recreation such as picnicking or resting with no intent to stay overnight, and for overnight stays in a park area properly designated as a campground that follows that campground's rules. Camp paraphernalia is defined to include tents, huts, tarpaulins, cots, sleeping bags, mattresses, hammocks and portable cooking devices such as camp stoves and grills, but excludes daytime items like chairs or picnic baskets used without intent to stay overnight.

Store means leaving camp paraphernalia unattended on non-campground public property for more than two hours with intent to use it for camping. Section 7-151 then makes it unlawful for any individual, group or corporation to camp on public property, or to store camp paraphernalia on public property not designated as a campground with intent to use it for camping or overnight habitation. Public property is defined broadly in Section 7-150 to include any real property, park, right-of-way, building, structure, trail or public open space, plus associated parking lots, controlled or owned by the state, county, a municipality or any other government entity, so the ban is not limited to county-owned land. Section 7-152 sets a graduated penalty structure rather than an immediate arrest for a first violation.