Sonoma, CA Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)
Key Facts
- Prohibited act
- Camping, lodging or sleeping on city property
- Applies to
- City-owned or -controlled land only
- Exception
- Council-designated campground by written order
- Penalty
- Up to $100 fine and 30 days in jail
- Chapter history
- Ord. 381 (1967), amended Ord. 06-2016
Summary
The City of Sonoma bans camping, lodging and outdoor sleeping on any city-owned or city-controlled ground, building or structure unless the city council has specifically designated the spot as a campground. Violating Sonoma Municipal Code Section 7.20.010 is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $100 fine and 30 days in county jail.
No ground, open space, building, hall, structure, or other real property owned by the city or in its possession or control shall be used by any person, persons or group of persons for camping, or for lodging either in the daytime or nighttime, nor shall any such place be used by any person for sleeping on the open ground, with or without bedding, during the hours of darkness, unless such place is specifically designated a campground or other public facility for camping, lodging or sleeping purposes by written order of this council, and then only pursuant to such rules and regulations as promulgated by the city council for the safe and proper conduct of such facilities. ... Any person who violates a provision of SMC 7.20.010 and 7.20.020 is guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall be punished by fine or imprisonment, or both, not exceeding $100.00 and 30 days in the county jail.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 13-2025, passed December 3, 2025).
Full Breakdown
20 of the Sonoma Municipal Code, titled Use of Public Property, dates back to a 1967 ordinance and was last amended in 2016. 010 prohibits any person or group from camping or lodging, day or night, on any ground, open space, building, hall or other real property owned by the city or in the city's possession or control. It separately bars sleeping on open ground, with or without bedding, during the hours of darkness anywhere on city property. The only way around the ban is a written order of the city council specifically designating a place as a campground or other public facility for camping, lodging or sleeping, together with council-adopted rules for running that facility. 010. 12 of the code.
Violations & Fines
A violation of Section 7.20.010 or 7.20.020 is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine or imprisonment, or both, not exceeding $100.00 and 30 days in the county jail, per Sonoma Municipal Code Section 7.20.030. Building a fire or dumping material on the public plaza or Mountain Cemetery in violation of Section 7.20.040 is a separate misdemeanor punished under Chapter 1.12 of the code.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is sleeping outside illegal everywhere in the City of Sonoma?
What is the penalty for camping on city property in Sonoma?
Are there any legal places to camp in the City of Sonoma?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sonoma
California rules heatmap·Compare Sonoma to another location·View the California homelessness & encampment rules overview
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Encampment Sanitation in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Sonoma County handle encampment sanitation.