Medford, OR Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)

257(6) requires that, except as provided in subsection (10), law enforcement post written notice in English and Spanish at all reasonably identifiable entrances to an established camping site at least 72 hours before removing homeless individuals from it. 257(1)(f) as one that has existed in its current location for at least five days, and officers must presume a site is established if they lack evidence of its age. Once notice is posted, police must inform registered local service agencies of the notice location so outreach workers can visit and assess needs (subsection (6)(a)-(b)).

Under subsection (7), unclaimed personal property after removal must go to a law enforcement official, a service agency, an outreach worker, or an authorized citation-issuer, and must be stored in a facility within Medford, which the code treats as a single community for this purpose. Items with no apparent value or that are unsanitary may be discarded immediately, while weapons, non-prescription controlled substances, and suspected stolen property or crime evidence go to police. Subsection (8) requires the notice to state where property will be stored, a phone number for inquiries, or contact information for an agency that will know once a location is set.

Subsection (9) requires orderly storage by individual for 30 days, after which unclaimed items may be disposed of or donated to a 501(c)(3) organization. Subsection (10) waives the 72-hour notice for illegal activity beyond camping, exceptional emergencies like hazardous contamination, or Greenway/Prescott Park fire-danger closures, and shortens the notice to 24 hours if a scheduled cemetery funeral conflicts with a campsite.