Woodland, CA Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)

Chapter 9.50, Encampments Within the City Limits (Ord. 1654, 2019), finds that tents and other habitable structures on City property create public health risks that can become vectors for disease, illness, and rodents, listing solid waste from discarded food and garbage, the presence of syringes, untreated human waste, unsanitary food storage, and lack of potable water (§ 9.50.010(B)), plus an increased risk of criminal activity (§ 9.50.010(C)). The prohibition at § 9.50.030 bars placing an encampment, defined broadly at § 9.50.020 to include a tarp tied to a structure or bush, on City property unless the City Manager or another authorized employee has issued a written permit.

Enforcement under § 9.50.050 is available to the Woodland Police Department, the Code Enforcement Division, Parks and Public Works personnel, or other local law enforcement, but violations of this chapter "do not constitute infractions, misdemeanors, or felonies" and "no citation may be issued," making removal a civil process distinct from the misdemeanor camping ban in Chapter 9.48. Before removing an encampment, the enforcing employee must offer housing, shelter, and services information (§ 9.50.040), and § 9.50.060 requires written notice served personally and posted at least 24 hours before removal, stating the location, date and time, the violation, available shelter contacts, and a warning that abandoned property will be impounded for at least 90 days and then discarded if unclaimed, with no fee charged for storage or retrieval.