Yuba City, CA Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)
Key Facts
- Camping ban
- Citywide, Municipal Code Chapter 23
- Levee buffer
- 50 ft of landside levee toe
- Waterway buffer
- 200 ft of high-water mark
- Notice before removal
- 72 hours
- Storage hold
- 90 days minimum
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor
Summary
Yuba City bans camping citywide under Municipal Code Chapter 23, with extra findings on levee integrity and waterway pollution; unattended property left on public property can be impounded after 72 hours' written notice, held 90 days, then sold or destroyed unless the owner qualifies for a fee waiver.
With the exception of authorized camping at a private or public campground or recreational vehicle park or camping authorized under any other ordinance, law, or regulation, no person shall camp in the following areas:(1)Any private property unless:(i)The person camping: (aa) is the owner or tenant of the private property; (ab) is a family member or relative...; (ac) is accompanied by an owner or tenant...; or (ad) has written permission in his or her possession from an owner or tenant...;(2)Any City park or trail facility, except in locations designated for such purposes or pursuant to a lawfully issued permit;(3)Any City airport;(4)Any City cemetery;(5)Any property that is within or below 200 feet above the ordinary high water mark of any lake, waterway, river, stream, pond, or reservoir;(6)Any levee or within 50 feet of the landside levee toe; and(7)Any City right-of-way including, but not limited to, public highways, roadway shoulders, sidewalks, or alleys so as to in any manner hinder or obstruct the free passage therein or thereon of any persons or vehicles passing or attempting to pass along the same right-of-way.
Full Breakdown
020 finds that camping and unauthorized storage of personal property near waterways or within the 50-foot clear zone of the landside toe of the levees protecting Yuba City from flooding threatens public health and the integrity of the levee system itself. 050 bans camping on private property without the owner's consent, in City parks and trails except designated or permitted spots, at the City airport or cemetery, within 200 feet of the high-water mark of any river or waterway, within 50 feet of a levee's landside toe, and in any right-of-way that blocks passage; camping is allowed only in permitted campgrounds like the Yuba Sutter Boat Docks RV park.
060 additionally bars erecting a tent on City property from 30 minutes after sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset unless camping is otherwise authorized. 100 govern impoundment: personal property stored unlawfully may be impounded, generally after 72 hours' written notice, but immediately if it presents a health hazard, blocks City operations, or threatens a levee or waterway. Impounded items are held at least 90 days, with fees waived for owners at or below the federal poverty threshold, and the City may sell, donate, or destroy unclaimed property afterward. 150 makes violations a misdemeanor.
Violations & Fines
Camping in a prohibited zone, storing personal property unlawfully, or erecting a daytime tent outside authorized hours is a misdemeanor under Section 5-23.150. Property posing a health hazard or blocking a levee or waterway can be impounded immediately without prior written notice under Section 5-23.070(d); otherwise the city must give 72 hours' notice before removal under Section 5-23.080.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is camping allowed anywhere in Yuba City?
Can the city remove my belongings from a public sidewalk?
Why does Yuba City treat levees differently from other public land?
How do I get impounded property back?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yuba City
California rules heatmap·Compare Yuba City to another location·View the California homelessness & encampment rules overview
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