Thurston County, WA Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)
Key Facts
- Where allowed
- Only posted, director-designated sites
- Occupancy cap
- 7 consecutive days per campsite
- Default vacate time
- 3 p.m. unless posted otherwise
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor, fine up to $250
- Refuse rule
- Designated receptacles/disposal areas only
Summary
Thurston County confines all camping, including unauthorized encampments, to campsites the parks director has specifically designated and posted inside county parks, per Code Section 10.76.150. Continuous occupancy of any legal campsite is capped at seven days, campsite fees are due daily, and camping outside a posted area anywhere in a county park is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $250 fine.
"Camping" means erecting a tent or other shelter, or arranging bedding, or parking a trailer, camper or other vehicle. ... 10.76.150 - Camping—Permitted in designated areas only. No person shall camp in any county park except in areas specifically designated by the director and posted for such use. ... 10.76.180 - Campsite—Limitation on continuous occupancy. Continuous occupancy of a campsite by the same person or persons shall be limited to seven days. ... 10.76.410 - Violation—Fine. Any person who violates any of the rules or regulations provided for in this chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be subject to a fine not exceeding two hundred fifty dollars; provided, that violation of a rule or regulation relating to traffic including parking, standing, stopping and pedestrian offenses is a traffic infraction except for those activities specifically excepted in RCW 46.63.020.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 77).
Full Breakdown
030(9)) as erecting a tent or other shelter, arranging bedding, or parking a trailer, camper, or other vehicle for occupancy, and a 'camping area' as a site specifically designated for tent campers or vehicle campers. 150 confines that activity to areas the parks director has designated and posted; camping anywhere else in a county park, including an unauthorized encampment on a trail, beach, or picnic area, falls outside the ordinance entirely. 180 caps continuous occupancy of the same campsite at seven days, though the director may shorten or lengthen that limit for a particular park.
220 bars draining or dumping waste from a trailer, camper, or vehicle except in a designated disposal area. 370 separately restricts tents or shelters on any county park swimming beach, requiring an unobstructed view through the shelter from at least two sides, and states expressly that nothing in that section authorizes camping outside a designated area. Together these sections give county parks and recreation staff, and the Thurston County Sheriff's Office, the tools to require an encampment to relocate to a designated site, pay applicable fees, and clear its refuse, or to remove it entirely.
Violations & Fines
Camping anywhere in a Thurston County park outside a posted, designated site is a misdemeanor under Section 10.76.410, carrying a fine of up to $250 upon conviction; parking or traffic-related violations within a park are instead charged as traffic infractions under RCW 46.63.020. Overstaying the seven-day occupancy cap, failing to pay the daily campsite fee, or failing to vacate by the posted time under Section 10.76.170 are separate violations of the chapter that can trigger removal from the site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone camp anywhere in a Thurston County park?
How long can someone stay at one campsite in a Thurston County park?
What happens to trash left at an unauthorized campsite?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Thurston County
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