Warren, MI Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 22-116
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 80-578, Feb. 26, 2002
- Banned locations
- Streets, parks, sidewalks, alleys, easements, lots
- Banned items
- Tents, huts, cots, sleeping bags, tarps
- Default penalty
- Up to $500 fine, 90 days jail
- Continuing violation
- New offense each day (§1-8(e))
Summary
Warren makes it unlawful to camp or set up camp gear such as tents, cots, sleeping bags or tarps on any street, park, sidewalk, alleyway, catwalk, public easement or public lot, whether improved or unimproved. Section 22-116 gives police and code enforcement a direct tool to clear tents and encampment gear from public property citywide.
It shall be unlawful for any person to camp, use camp facilities, including but not limited to tents, huts or temporary shelters, or use camp paraphernalia, including but not limited to cots, beds, sleeping bags, hammocks, tarps, in the following areas except as otherwise permitted: (1)Any street;(2)Any park;(3)Any sidewalk;(4)Any alleyway;(5)Any catwalk;(6)Any public easement;(7)Any public lot or public area, improved or unimproved.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 102).
Full Breakdown
Section 22-116, adopted by Ordinance No. 80-578 in 2002, sits in Article V of Chapter 22 and flatly prohibits camping, using camp facilities, or using camp paraphernalia in seven categories of public property, from streets and parks down to unimproved public lots, unless the activity is otherwise expressly permitted. The section itself sets no separate punishment, so the citywide default penalty in Section 1-8 controls: because the ordinance does not specify a punishment, a violation is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not exceeding $500, imprisonment not exceeding 90 days, or both, plus reasonable court costs of up to $1,000.
Section 1-8(e) also makes clear that any condition a person causes or permits to exist in violation of a city ordinance is a new and separate offense each day it continues, meaning an encampment left standing can generate a fresh violation daily rather than a single one-time citation. The ordinance covers both the physical acts of camping and using camp facilities and the mere presence of camp paraphernalia, a term defined broadly to include cots, beds, hammocks and tarps, so a person does not need a pitched tent to be in violation.
Because the list of prohibited locations includes public easements and unimproved public lots alongside more obvious spots like sidewalks and parks, the ordinance reaches informal encampment sites on vacant or undeveloped city-owned land, not just maintained public spaces.
Violations & Fines
A violation of Section 22-116 defaults to Section 1-8's general misdemeanor penalty: a fine of up to $500, imprisonment of up to 90 days, or both, plus court costs of up to $1,000. Each day an encampment or camping gear remains in a prohibited location counts as a new, separate offense under Section 1-8(e), and the city may also abate the condition as a nuisance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I set up a tent in a Warren park?
What happens if I'm caught with camping gear on a Warren sidewalk?
Does the anti-camping rule cover public easements and vacant lots?
What items count as camp paraphernalia under the ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Warren
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