Madera, CA Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)
Key Facts
- Ban covers
- All public and private property without consent
- Narrow exception
- 1-night consensual stay by friends/family
- Storage ban
- Personal property, incl. camp gear (§ 4-14.03)
- Adopted
- December 7, 2005 (Ord. 791 C.S.)
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor, public nuisance (§ 4-14.07)
Summary
Madera Municipal Code § 4-14.02 makes it unlawful, and a public nuisance, to camp, occupy camp facilities, or use camp paraphernalia on any public or private property in the city, with a narrow carve-out for one night of consensual overnight camping by friends or family on private residential land. Section 4-14.03 separately bans storing personal property, including camp gear, without the owner's written consent.
(A) It is unlawful and public nuisances for any person to camp, occupy camp facilities, or use camp paraphernalia in the following areas: (1) Any public property, or (2) Any private property. (B) It is not intended by this section to prohibit overnight camping on private residential property by friends or family of the property owner, so long as the owners thereof consent and the overnight camping is limited to not more than one consecutive night. ... It is unlawful and a public nuisance for any person to store personal property, including camp paraphernalia, in the following areas, except as otherwise provided by resolution or ordinance of the City Council: (A) Any public property; or (B) Any private property without the written consent of the owner.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2024 S-50: Current through Ordinance 1010 C.S., passed 6-5-24).
Full Breakdown
Adopted in December 2005 under Ord. 01. 02(A) bans camping outright on any public or private property in the city, and labels the conduct a public nuisance rather than merely an infraction against a specific owner. The only exception in the section itself is for genuinely private, consensual, one-night overnight stays by friends or family on residential property; anything longer, or camping without the landowner's consent, falls back under the ban. 03 separately bans storing personal property, camp paraphernalia included, on public property or on private property without the owner's written consent, which reaches belongings left behind even where no one is actively camping.
05. S. Supreme Court's June 28, 2024 ruling in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson upheld the enforceability of ordinances like this one against an Eighth Amendment challenge, removing the shelter-availability limits that had constrained camping bans since the Ninth Circuit's Martin v. Boise decision.
Violations & Fines
Camping or storing personal property in violation of Chapter 14 is a misdemeanor and a public nuisance under § 4-14.07, and the City Attorney can pursue civil abatement or administrative enforcement in addition to, or instead of, criminal charges, with Cal. Penal Code § 370's general nuisance remedies also available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is camping on public property illegal in Madera?
Can Madera clear a homeless encampment's belongings?
Did the 2024 Supreme Court ruling change Madera's camping ban?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Madera
California rules heatmap·Compare Madera to another location·View the California homelessness & encampment rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.