West Palm Beach, FL Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Sit-Lie Rules (2026)

West Palm Beach's public-camping ban lives in Chapter 54, Division 3, 'Prohibited Conduct,' renamed from 'Panhandling and Solicitation' by Ordinance No. 4919-20 in December 2020 and last amended by Ordinance No. 5111-24 in September 2024, which also repealed the city's separate aggressive-solicitation sections. Section 54-146 defines 'public camping or sleeping' broadly: overnight lodging in a tent or other temporary shelter evidenced by bedding, pillows or stored belongings, or simply lodging overnight outdoors without any shelter at all. Four narrow exceptions apply: sleeping in a registered, insured vehicle lawfully parked; recreational camping on property designated for that purpose; camping in a location Palm Beach County has designated under Fla.

0231(3); and tailgating or picnicking tied to a legitimate sporting or civic event. Under § 54-147(b), it is unlawful to camp or sleep, or to build or maintain a tent, structure or other object intended for housing or lodging, on any public property, including public buildings, grounds and rights-of-way, but only after a police officer has first informed the person and given notice that the conduct violates the ordinance. That notice requirement means a first encounter typically results in a warning rather than a citation.

Enforcement runs through § 54-148, which applies the Chapter 1 general penalty and also authorizes the procedures and penalties in Fla. 23, the state's code-enforcement citation statutes, giving the city both a criminal and a civil enforcement track for repeat violations.