San Diego, CA Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)
Key Facts
- Core ban
- No camping on public property
- Always-banned zones
- Near schools, shelters, waterways, transit
- No-cite hours
- 9 p.m.-5:30 a.m. (§ 63.0405)
- Cleanup notice
- 24 hours before item removal
Summary
San Diego bans camping or maintaining an encampment on any public property -- streets, sidewalks, parks, beaches, open space, or waterways -- without City Manager authorization, with added no-camping zones near schools and shelters.
It is unlawful for any person to camp or to maintain an encampment in or upon any public property, including in any street, sidewalk, park, beach, open space, waterway, and banks of a waterway, unless specifically authorized by the City Manager.
(b) At all times, regardless of the availability of shelter space or beds, it is unlawful for any person to camp or to maintain an encampment where such activity poses:
(1) an immediate threat or an unreasonable risk of harm to any natural person,
(2) an immediate threat or an unreasonable risk of harm to public health or safety, or
(3) disruption to vital government services.
(c) At all times, regardless of the availability of shelter space or beds, it is unlawful for any person to camp or to maintain an encampment in the following locations:
(1) within two blocks of a school that offers instruction on those courses of study required by the California Education Code or that is maintained pursuant to standards set by the State Board of Education provided that signs are posted prohibiting camping that are clearly
Full Breakdown
SDMC § 63.0404, the city's Unsafe Camping Ordinance, makes it unlawful to camp or keep an encampment on any public property -- streets, sidewalks, parks, beaches, open space, and waterways -- without City Manager authorization. Camping is barred at all times, regardless of shelter availability, within two blocks of a posted school or shelter, in open space or along waterways, near trolley platforms and tracks, and in any park the City Manager flags as a health-and-safety risk with posted no-camping signs. Under § 63.0405, officers generally cannot cite for ordinary sidewalk camping between 9 p.m. and 5:30 a.m., or when no shelter bed is actually available.
Violations & Fines
Camping on public property without authorization is a misdemeanor under SDMC § 12.0201; the City can also abate encampments after giving 24 hours' written notice to remove belongings first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to sleep on a San Diego sidewalk?
Can police cite me for camping at any hour?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Diego
California rules heatmap·Compare San Diego to another location·View the California homelessness & encampment rules overview
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Encampment Sanitation in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Diego County handle encampment sanitation.