Memphis Public Works and Solid Waste (Ch. 26) coordinate with Code Enforcement (Ch. 25) and the Shelby County Health Department to clear encampments under Health and Sanitation (Ch. 8). Notice-to-vacate windows typically run 72 hours.
Encampment cleanups in Memphis are triggered by health-and-sanitation complaints (Ch. 8) and processed jointly by Public Works, Solid Waste (Ch. 26), MPD, and the Shelby County Health Department. Standard practice posts a 72-hour notice-to-vacate at the site, with outreach by the Community Alliance for the Homeless to offer shelter beds and case management before personal-property removal. Belongings are inventoried and stored for 90 days at a city facility; reclamation requires ID and a stored-property reference number. Riverfront, I-240 underpasses, and railroad rights-of-way (TDOT/CSX) involve concurrent state and railroad-police jurisdiction.
Refusing to vacate after 72-hour notice, returning to a closed encampment site, or blocking cleanup crews can lead to citation, short-term arrest, and immediate property removal as health-hazard waste.
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See how Memphis's encampment sanitation rules stack up against other locations.
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