Lake Havasu City, AZ Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)

Section 9.12.060 defines camp and camping broadly to include overnight sleeping or general housekeeping activities conducted outdoors, whether or not tied to an RV, camper shell, travel trailer, or tent. The default rule bars camping citywide except in areas the city has specifically designated for overnight camping or under a city-issued camping license. The section carves out one residential exception: overnight use of an RV, camper shell, travel trailer, tent, or similar shelter on a developed, residentially zoned lot is not camping at all, so long as the property owner consents and the stay runs 7 or fewer days per calendar quarter.

Organized motor coach events must separately obtain a special event permit before camping within city limits, following the same permit process the rest of Chapter 9.20 requires, including the 60-calendar-day advance application set out in section 9.20.050. The section has been amended repeatedly since its 1989 origin through 1994, 2002, and 2013, reflecting the city's continuing effort to balance its tourism-driven RV and boating traffic against unregulated outdoor camping on the lakefront and in the desert. Chapter 9.12 sets no standalone fine for unlawful camping, so a violation defaults to the code's general penalty under section 1.08.010: a misdemeanor punishable by up to $2,500 in fines, up to 6 months in jail, or both, with each day of continued unlicensed camping treated as a separate offense.