Rowlett, TX Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)
Key Facts
- Citation
- § 34-3(c)
- Adopted
- Ordinance No. 010-12, May 1, 2012
- Max fine
- $500.00 per section 1-13(a)
- Continuing offense
- each day is separate violation
- State overlap
- Texas Penal Code § 48.05 (2021)
- Defense
- owner's consent to sleep at location
Summary
Rowlett makes it a criminal offense to sleep overnight in any public transportation facility, public place, vacant lot, street, alley, or park within city limits unless you own the property or have the owner's written consent. Section 34-3(c) works alongside the 2021 statewide camping ban in Texas Penal Code section 48.05, giving Rowlett police two separate legal tools to clear encampments inside both the Dallas County and Rockwall County portions of the city.
(c)It shall be unlawful for any person to sleep in a public transportation facility, a public place, a vacant lot, or a street, alley or park, unless the person owns the property or has the consent of the owner of property to sleep at that location.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 29).
Full Breakdown
" The definitions in section 34-1 sweep broadly: a "public place" includes streets, highways, and the common areas of schools, hospitals, apartment houses, office buildings, transport facilities, and shops, and a "public transportation facility" covers any area marked for waiting on a bus, train, or light rail vehicle. This ordinance dates to Ordinance No. 05, making unauthorized camping in a public place a statewide Class C misdemeanor. The two laws overlap but are not identical: the state statute targets camping with shelter items like a tent or bedroll and requires officers to first advise a person of an alternative legal camping location, while Rowlett's own ordinance reaches any unconsented sleeping in a covered location, tent or no tent.
00, with each day the person remains treated as a separate offense under section 1-13(b). The city may also pursue abatement, injunctive relief, or other equitable remedies under section 1-13(c) instead of, or in addition to, a criminal citation.
Violations & Fines
Violating section 34-3(c) is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $500.00 under the chapter 1 general penalty, and each day a person remains in violation constitutes a separate offense under section 1-13(b). Because the state camping law in Penal Code section 48.05 covers overlapping conduct, Rowlett police may cite under either law; officers enforcing the state statute must first advise the person of a lawful place to camp before issuing that citation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is sleeping outside illegal everywhere in Rowlett?
How is this different from the Texas camping ban?
What is the penalty for violating section 34-3(c)?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rowlett
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Rowlett to another location·View the Texas homelessness & encampment rules overview
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Encampment Sanitation in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Dallas County handle encampment sanitation.