Palm Coast, FL Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)
Key Facts
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 2025-05, effective May 6, 2025
- State definition used
- F.S. § 125.0231(1)(b)
- Trespass warning length
- Up to two years
- Appeal window
- 10 days, written, to City Clerk, no fee
- Vehicle exception
- Registered, insured vehicle lawfully parked is not camping
Summary
Palm Coast bars anyone from regularly camping or sleeping on public property, including public buildings, grounds and rights-of-way, under Sec. 42-6, adopted in May 2025 under Florida's statewide camping law. Violators can receive a written trespass warning valid for up to two years, with an appeal to a special magistrate.
(1)Public camping or sleeping means in conformity with the meaning of "public or sleeping" set forth under F.S. § 125.0231(1)(b):a.Lodging or residing overnight in a temporary outdoor habitation used as a dwelling or living space and evidenced by the erection of a tent or other temporary shelter, the presence of bedding or pillows, or the storage of personal belongings; or...(b)Prohibition. No person may regularly engage in public camping or sleeping on any public property, including, but not limited to, any public building or its grounds or any public right-of-way under the jurisdiction of the City.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 44 | Land Development Code: Supplement 18).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 42-6 of the Palm Coast Code of Ordinances, adopted by Ord. No. 2025-05 in May 2025, adopts the definition of "public camping or sleeping" set out in F.S. § 125.0231(1)(b): lodging or residing overnight in a temporary outdoor habitation evidenced by a tent or shelter, bedding, pillows or stored belongings, or lodging overnight outdoors without any shelter at all. The ban excludes lodging overnight in a registered, insured motor vehicle lawfully parked, and it excludes camping for recreational purposes on property designated for that use.
Subsection (b) prohibits any person from regularly engaging in public camping or sleeping on public property, including public buildings and their grounds and any public right-of-way under City jurisdiction. Enforcement runs through the City Manager, a designee, or a law enforcement officer, who may issue a written trespass warning under Sec. 9-1 of the City Code. That warning can bar the individual from City property for up to two years and must be mailed or hand delivered, and it must tell the person how and where to appeal.
A person under a trespass warning who is later found on City property in violation of it is subject to arrest. The City Manager can still authorize a one-time entry, in writing, for necessary government business or to exercise First Amendment rights if there is no other reasonable location to do so. Appeals go to the City Clerk in writing within ten days of the warning at no cost, are heard by a contracted special magistrate, and that magistrate's decision is final, subject only to judicial review; the trespass warning stays in effect while an appeal is pending.
Violations & Fines
Violating a Sec. 42-6 trespass warning by returning to City property is subject to arrest. The warning itself is issued under Sec. 9-1 of the Code and lasts up to two years; an appeal must be filed with the City Clerk in writing within ten days, heard by a special magistrate whose decision is final and subject only to judicial review.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is sleeping outside on public property illegal in Palm Coast?
What happens if I get a trespass warning under Palm Coast's camping ban?
How do I appeal a Palm Coast trespass warning for public camping?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Palm Coast
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Palm Coast to another location·View the Florida homelessness & encampment rules overview
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