Indianapolis, IN Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)
Key Facts
- Notice, established camp
- 15 days minimum
- Notice, newer camp
- 48 hours minimum
- Property storage
- 60 days before disposal
- Enforcing agency
- Office of Public Health and Safety
Summary
OPHS can close camps and clear public property, but only after notice, cataloguing residents' belongings, and offering available shelter space first.
The office of public health and safety (OPHS) may temporarily or permanently close any public property or public right of way to camps and require any residents currently camping in the area to cease camping in the area and remove any stored personal property from the area, but only if OPHS follows the procedures described below and sufficient temporary housing or shelter space is available for residents who will be displaced by the closure. OPHS will reach a memorandum of understanding or agreement with the Blueprint Council of the Indianapolis Continuum of Care to designate partner entities for roles in the notice and outreach procedures described below.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 47 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Before the Office of Public Health and Safety (OPHS) closes a camp on public property, it must give at least 15 days' notice for an established camp (occupied 7+ days) or 48 hours for a newer one, coordinate shelter or housing offers, and have the department of public works catalogue and store residents' personal items for a minimum of 60 days before disposal. Health-hazard conditions like accumulated human waste can trigger a faster emergency closure with no notice requirement.
Violations & Fines
Camps in enclosed high-traffic areas or with accumulated food/human waste may be declared a public-health emergency and closed immediately without the standard notice period.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much warning is given before an encampment cleanup?
What happens to belongings left at a cleared camp?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Indianapolis
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