Waukesha, WI Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)
Key Facts
- Covered locations
- City parks, plaza areas, municipal lots/ramps
- Evidence standard
- Bedrolls, sleeping bags, repeated presence
- Penalty range
- $25.00 to $200.00 per violation
- Continuing violation
- Each day is a separate offense
- Adopted
- Created by Ord. 12-03
Summary
Waukesha makes it unlawful to lodge, camp or use as a temporary residence any City park, plaza area or municipal parking lot or ramp, treating bedrolls, sleeping bags or repeated presence with belongings as evidence of the violation, with a forfeiture of $25 to $200 per day.
PROHIBITION. It shall be unlawful for any person to lodge, camp or use as a temporary place of residence or habitation a City Park, Plaza Area or Municipal Parking Lot or Ramp. Evidence of lodging, camping or using one of the aforementioned areas as a temporary place of residence or habitation shall include, but is not limited to, any person having on or about his or her person a substantial amount of the person's possessions, including bedrolls, mattresses, sleeping bags, substantial amounts of unworn clothing or other personal possessions; and also the frequency of occasions the person is found to be in a park with the aforementioned possessions. PENALTY. Any person who violates this section shall be subject to a forfeiture of not less than $25.00 nor more than $200.00. Each and every day during which a violation continues shall be deemed to be a separate violation.
Full Breakdown
37, Habitation In Parks Prohibited, bars anyone from lodging, camping or otherwise using a City Park, Plaza Area, or Municipal Parking Lot or Ramp as a temporary place of residence or habitation. The section does not require proof of overnight sleeping; it defines evidence of the violation to include a person having on their body a substantial amount of possessions such as bedrolls, mattresses, sleeping bags, or substantial amounts of unworn clothing, combined with the frequency of occasions the person is found in the park carrying those possessions.
That evidentiary standard lets an officer document a pattern over multiple visits rather than needing to catch someone asleep. The ordinance was created by Ord. and sunrise. 35, and it explicitly treats each day of a continuing violation as a fresh, separately chargeable offense, which lets the City escalate enforcement against a location where camping recurs rather than issuing a single citation for an ongoing encampment.
Violations & Fines
A violation of § 11.37 carries a forfeiture of not less than $25.00 nor more than $200.00. Each day during which the violation continues counts as a separate violation, so an encampment left in place across several days can generate a citation for each day it persists.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is sleeping overnight in a Waukesha park illegal?
What proof does the City need to cite someone under the parks camping ban?
What is the fine for camping in a Waukesha park?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Waukesha
Compare Waukesha to another location·View the Wisconsin homelessness & encampment rules overview
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