Elkhart County, IN Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 93.022(G)
- Requirement
- Written permit from Park Department Director
- Applies to
- Tents and improvised shelters, all parks
- Maximum fine
- $1,000 under § 93.999(A)(1)
- Adopted
- Ord. 12-177, April 16, 2012
Summary
You can't pitch a tent to sleep overnight in an Elkhart County park without a permit. Section 93.022(G) bans maintaining a tent or other improvised shelter for overnight camping anywhere in the county park system unless the Park Department Director has issued one.
§ 93.022 MISCELLANEOUS PROHIBITIONS. It shall be unlawful for any person within any park to: ... (G) Pitch or maintain a tent or other improvised shelter for the purpose of overnight camping without a permit issued by the Director of the Park Department;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-23: Supplement contains: Current through local legislation passed on or before July 31, 2025; and State Legislation current through 2025 Indiana Legislative Service, Pamphlet #3).
Full Breakdown
Section 93.022 of the Park Rules, part of Ord. 12-177 (2012), lists nine acts unlawful for anyone inside a county park. Division (G) bars a person from 'pitch[ing] or maintain[ing] a tent or other improvised shelter for the purpose of overnight camping without a permit issued by the Director of the Park Department.' The word 'improvised' reaches makeshift shelters, not just manufactured tents, and the ban applies countywide across every park under the Park Board's jurisdiction.
The same section also bars disobeying a park ranger's order or a posted sign (division (B)), soliciting or advertising without written Park Board permission (divisions (C) and (D)), and swimming in park lakes or rivers (division (H)), showing the ordinance treats unpermitted overnight camping as one item in a broader list of conduct that requires either Park Board authorization or is banned outright. There is no separate encampment-cleanup procedure written into this chapter; enforcement runs through the same citation process as every other Park Rules violation, under § 93.999.
Violations & Fines
Camping overnight in a tent or improvised shelter without a Park Department permit violates § 93.022(G) and is punishable by up to a $1,000 fine under § 93.999(A)(1). A deputized park ranger can issue the citation and, since after-hours park access is separately restricted under § 93.024, order the person to leave.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get a permit to camp overnight in an Elkhart County park?
What counts as an improvised shelter under the camping ban?
Are county parks closed overnight to everyone, or just campers?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Elkhart County
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