Tempe, AZ Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)

Article IV of Chapter 23, "Urban Camping," defines camping broadly in Section 23-90 to include using public property as a temporary or permanent dwelling, lodging or living accommodation, with indicators such as burning a fire, cooking, storing belongings, laying out bedding, or erecting a tent or temporary structure for shelter or sleeping; the definition applies "no matter how temporary" the setup appears. "Public property" is defined equally broadly to cover schools, parks, playgrounds, streets, sidewalks, rights-of-way, highways, alleys, bike paths, transit stops, mountain parks, preserves and any City land or facility open for public use.

Section 23-91(b) makes camping on any of that property unlawful unless the location is specifically authorized for camping or the camper has obtained a permit. The article carves out an exception in Section 23-91(c) for temporary structures or camps a government agency or relief organization sets up during a declared disaster or emergency. Section 23-91(d) states directly that the article does not criminalize homelessness or target the homeless community, tying enforcement to the act of camping rather than to a person's housing status. First adopted in 1997 and amended in 2018 by Ordinance No.

04, the article remains the operative citation basis for police and Community Services staff addressing camps on public land, including along the Rio Salado corridor and in the City's preserves.