St. Lucie County, FL Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)
Key Facts
- Governs
- all county-jurisdiction public property
- Ban
- regularly camping/sleeping outdoors overnight
- Exempt
- lawfully parked, registered/insured vehicle
- Exempt
- recreational camping at designated sites
- Designated campsites
- need reservation, fee, approval
- Amended
- Ord. No. 25-016, effective 8-5-2025
Summary
St. Lucie County prohibits regularly camping or sleeping overnight on any public property under county jurisdiction, from parks and preserves to other county-owned land, under Code § 32-90. The ban targets recurring outdoor lodging shown by a tent, bedding or stored belongings, but exempts registered, insured vehicles parked lawfully and recreational camping at property designated for that purpose.
(a)Definition: The term "public camping or sleeping": means(1)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(2)Lodging or residing overnight in an outdoor space without a tent or other temporary shelter. The term does not include: a.Lodging or residing overnight in a motor vehicle that is registered, insured, and located in a place where it may lawfully be.b.Camping for recreational purposes on property designated for such purposes.(b)Regularly engaging in public camping or sleeping on any public property under the jurisdiction of the county is expressly prohibited.(c)County designated campsites and overnight RV sites shall require reservations, applicable fees, adherence to facility rules, and approval by the county prior to occupancy. Violations will result in expulsion from the county facility.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 32 | Land Development Code: Supplement 36).
Full Breakdown
Section 32-90, added to the county's public-conduct article and updated by Ordinance No. 25-016 on August 5, 2025, defines "public camping or sleeping" two ways: lodging overnight in a temporary outdoor habitation shown by a tent or shelter, bedding, pillows or stored belongings, or simply residing overnight in an outdoor space with no shelter at all. The definition carves out two exceptions: sleeping in a motor vehicle that is currently registered, insured and lawfully parked, and recreational camping at a site the county has designated for that use.
Subsection (b) is the operative prohibition: regularly engaging in public camping or sleeping on any public property under county jurisdiction is expressly prohibited, a scope that under § 32-87's applicability clause reaches buildings, parks, preserves, playgrounds, recreation areas and any other land the county owns, leases or otherwise controls, not just park space. Subsection (c) carves out the county's own designated campsites and overnight RV sites, which remain lawful but only with a reservation, payment of the applicable fee, compliance with posted facility rules, and county approval before occupancy begins; anyone who violates those site rules faces expulsion from the facility rather than a fine.
The article traces to Ordinance No. 82-10 in 1982 and was amended in 2004 (Ord. 04-018) before this camping-specific language was added under Ord. 25-016 in 2025.
Violations & Fines
A person cited under § 32-90(b) is subject to the general penalty provisions the county applies to article IV public-conduct violations, enforceable by code enforcement officers and the sheriff's office. Occupying a reserved campsite or RV site without a paid reservation and county approval under subsection (c) results in expulsion from the facility rather than the citation process used for unauthorized public camping.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone sleep overnight in their car in St. Lucie County?
Is camping ever allowed on county land?
What counts as illegal public camping?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Lucie County
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