Mission, TX Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)
Key Facts
- Local ordinance
- Sec. 66-193, Ch. 66 Art. VI
- State authority
- Penal Code § 48.05 (HB 1925)
- Penalty
- Class C misdemeanor, Sec. 66-194
- Enforcement trigger
- Refusal to move on when ordered
- Exemption
- Groups with a city parade permit
Summary
Texas Penal Code section 48.05 (created by 2021's HB 1925) bans camping in a public place without consent, and Mission enforces it through its own street-obstruction and loitering ordinance, which lets police order campers and groups blocking sidewalks or streets to move on or face a Class C misdemeanor citation.
It shall be unlawful for any person, grouping, or assemblage of persons, whose standing, remaining, or congregating upon any public street or sidewalk in the city shall obstruct, prevent, or interfere with the free or unobstructed use of such street or sidewalk by other persons, to fail or refuse to move on or to disperse upon being ordered to do so by any police officer of the city or other peace officer, unless such grouping or assemblage of persons has first obtained from the city a permit to parade.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 31).
Full Breakdown
Mission's Code of Ordinances Chapter 66, Article VI (Loitering and Obstructing Public Access) is the local tool the city uses to clear encampments and enforce the statewide camping ban. Sec. 66-193(b) makes it unlawful for any person or group blocking a public street or sidewalk to refuse a police officer's order to move on or disperse, unless they hold a city parade permit. Sec. 66-192 separately criminalizes loitering tied to alarm-worthy circumstances. Violations are prosecuted as Class C misdemeanors under Sec. 66-194, on top of any state charge filed under Penal Code section 48.05 for camping on public land without the owner's consent.
Violations & Fines
Refusing a police order to move on or disperse from a blocked street or sidewalk under Sec. 66-193 is a Class C misdemeanor; camping in a public place without consent is separately a state offense under Penal Code section 48.05.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is public camping illegal in Mission?
What happens if someone refuses to move an encampment?
Does a permitted assembly avoid this rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mission
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Mission to another location·View the Texas homelessness & encampment rules overview
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