Redding, CA Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- RMC §§ 10.40.010, 10.40.020
- Public-property camping
- Banned when shelter available
- Vehicle sleeping curfew
- 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
- Private-property camping cap
- 7 consecutive days
- Default penalty
- Misdemeanor, up to $1,000/6 months
Summary
Redding Municipal Code Section 10.40.010 bans camping on city-owned property, streets, parking lots, easements, creekbeds, and utility substations whenever overnight shelter is available, and bars sleeping in a vehicle on public streets or private lots between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Section 10.40.020 limits camping on private land to seven days at a time.
A.Except as may be permitted within municipal parks by the community services director, or his or her designee, it is unlawful to camp upon any public property owned by the city, including, without limitation, streets, parking structures, easements, open space, parks, dump sites, creekbeds, electric utility substations, parking lots, or corporation yards when there is available overnight shelter.B.Except as otherwise permitted under Title 18 of the Redding Municipal Code, it is unlawful for any person to sleep between ten p.m. and five a.m. in any vehicle parked on any public street, alley way, or parking area, or any privately owned parking area used for the parking of customers of any business enterprise without the consent of the owner of such business enterprise when there is available overnight shelter.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 48).
Full Breakdown
40, Unlawful Camping, splits enforcement between public and private property. 010(A) bans camping on any city-owned public property, including streets, parking structures, easements, open space, parks, dump sites, creekbeds, electric utility substations, parking lots, and corporation yards, except where the community services director permits camping within municipal parks, and only when overnight shelter is available. , again only when shelter is available. 020 addresses private land: camping there is unlawful except with the landowner's written consent kept on the camper's person, and even with consent no one may camp more than seven consecutive days without a seven-day break, with any part of a day counting as a full camping day.
030 defines 'available shelter' as a no-cost public or private overnight space that is not full, has not exhausted the person's stay limit, and does not condition the stay on religious observance; a shelter still counts as available if the person cannot use it because of their own intoxication, drug use, unruly conduct, or rule violations. This availability test, added by Ordinance 2598 in 2019, governs whether enforcement can proceed on any given night.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 10.40 sets no penalty of its own, so a camping violation defaults to the code's general penalty in Section 1.12.020: a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 and up to six months in county jail, since the chapter never classifies the offense as an infraction. Each day the camp remains constitutes a separate violation under Section 1.12.030, and officers may also cite associated conduct such as trespass under Chapter 10.41 or the state Penal Code.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Redding enforce its camping ban if shelters are full?
How long can someone camp on private property in Redding with the owner's permission?
Is sleeping in a car overnight illegal in Redding?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Redding
California rules heatmap·Compare Redding to another location·View the California homelessness & encampment rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.