York County, SC Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies to
- Public property only, not private land
- Campfire rule
- Unlawful without a permit
- Attachment rule
- No ropes, wires or power cords to public structures
- Enforcement limit
- Not enforced when no shelter bed is available
- Maximum penalty
- $500 fine or 30 days jail, or both
- Adopting ordinance
- Ord. 3922, amended by Ord. 723 (2023)
Summary
York County bans camping on any street, sidewalk, park, playground or other public property at any time unless a governmental authority specifically authorizes it, under § 131.03(C). The same subsection separately bars unpermitted campfires and attaching ropes, wires or power cords to public structures. Deputies are directed not to enforce the camping ban when no overnight shelter bed is available.
(C) Camping on public property.
(1) This division (C) is to apply only to camping on public property.
(2) It shall be unlawful for any person, except as may be specifically authorized by the appropriate governmental authority, to use any of the streets, sidewalks, parks, or playgrounds, or any other public property for the purpose of camping at any time; or to cause or permit any vehicle to remain in any of said places to the detriment of public travel or convenience.
(3) It shall be unlawful for any person, except as may be specifically authorized by permit, to light or use a campfire or a bonfire on public property.
(4) It shall be unlawful for any person, except as may be specifically authorized by permit, to hang, fasten, or attach any rope, wire, chain, or electrical device or power cord to any public property, including buildings, bridges, overpasses, or utility poles.
(5) Law enforcement officers shall not enforce division (C)(2) of this section when the individual is on public property and there is no available overnight shelter.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-49: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. 3925, passed 6-16-25).
Full Breakdown
03(C) of the York County Code, adopted by Ord. 3922 on October 3, 2022 and amended by Ord. 723 in February 2023, creates a standalone camping ban that reaches only public property, not private land. Paragraph (2) makes it unlawful to use any street, sidewalk, park, playground or other public property for camping at any time, or to let a vehicle remain in those places to the detriment of public travel, unless the appropriate governmental authority has specifically authorized the use. Paragraphs (3) and (4) extend the same permit requirement to lighting a campfire or bonfire on public property and to hanging or attaching ropes, wires, chains or electrical cords, including power cords, to public buildings, bridges, overpasses or utility poles, which reaches the extension cords and tarps common to informal encampments.
The county built in one significant limit on enforcement: paragraph (5) directs law enforcement officers not to enforce the camping ban against an individual on public property when there is no available overnight shelter bed in the county, effectively pausing enforcement during periods of shelter capacity shortages. 03(B), carries an identical shelter-availability carve-out for sleeping in a building or vehicle without permission. 99.
Violations & Fines
Camping on public property without specific authorization, lighting an unpermitted campfire, or attaching ropes, wires or cords to public structures is punishable under § 131.99 by a fine of up to $500, imprisonment for up to 30 days, or both. Officers may not cite the camping provision, § 131.03(C)(2), against someone on public property when no overnight shelter bed is currently available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to camp in a York County park?
Does York County still enforce the camping ban if shelters are full?
Can I build a campfire on county park land?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in York County
Compare York County to another location·View the South Carolina homelessness & encampment rules overview
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