Middleton, WI Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)

04(11)(a) states the rationale up front: due to the lack of appropriate bathroom, waste or wastewater disposal, or other sanitation facilities, and the inconsistency of current uses of City property and public rights of way with safe, healthy camping uses, it is unlawful for any person to camp on any land owned by the City of Middleton, including any public right of way. Subsection (b) defines 'camping' broadly as using a shelter, including a tent, trailer, motor vehicle, recreational vehicle, boat, camper, mobile home, tarpaulin, bedroll, or sleeping bag, for temporary residence or sleeping purposes, sweeping in both tent encampments and people sleeping in vehicles.

03(2)(1); and visitors camping in a trailer, camper, RV or mobile home for up to three nights while visiting a City resident, extendable to fourteen days with written Chief of Police permission, which cannot be granted more than once per calendar year for the same camper or resident. Notwithstanding those exceptions, any police officer may summarily order a person or group to stop camping on probable cause that a participant violated any state statute or City ordinance during the camping activity, and anyone so ordered is barred from camping under the exceptions for twelve months from the order.