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Homelessness & Encampment Rules in Colorado (2026)

30 rules on the books across Colorado, 22 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.

Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions

Sit-Lie Rules

Citywide rules against sitting or lying on public sidewalks during specified daytime hours in commercial corridors, including how courts have constrained enforcement.

Arvada

Significant Restrictions

Arvada bars obstructing any public passageway, including placing furniture or personal property on a sidewalk, alley…

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Colorado Springs

Significant Restrictions

City Code § 9.2.112 makes it unlawful to sit, kneel, recline or lie down on the public right of way in the Central…

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Denver

Significant Restrictions

Denver prohibits sitting or lying on the public right-of-way in the Downtown Business Improvement District from 7 a.m…

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Fort Collins

Significant Restrictions

Fort Collins Municipal Code Section 17-128 makes it unlawful to obstruct a sidewalk or entrance, and defines…

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Grand Junction

Significant Restrictions

The City of Grand Junction bans sleeping on any public sidewalk, street, parking strip, alley, lane or right-of-way…

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Manitou Springs

Significant Restrictions

Sitting, kneeling, reclining or lying on the sidewalk or other public right-of-way in downtown Manitou Springs is…

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Parker

Significant Restrictions

Parker Municipal Code § 8.07.110 makes it unlawful to sit, kneel, recline or lie down on a collector or arterial public…

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Boulder

Some Restrictions

Boulder does not ban sitting or lying on a sidewalk outright, but Section 5-3-5 makes it a violation to obstruct…

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Thornton

Some Restrictions

Thornton makes it unlawful to block a street or sidewalk in a way that hinders or impedes pedestrians or vehicles, a…

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Commerce City

Light Restrictions

Commerce City has no ordinance that names sitting or lying on a sidewalk, but section 12-6001 bans intentionally…

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Encampment Sanitation

How cities provide trash, hygiene, and bulky-item pickup at encampments, the CARE/CARE+ cleanups in LA, and the storage-of-belongings rules from Lavan v. LA.

Adams County

Heavy Restrictions

Adams County bans overnight camping, and overnight vehicle, trailer or camper parking for camping purposes, in every…

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Aurora

Heavy Restrictions

Aurora's city manager can abate any unauthorized camp on public property without advance notice; verbal orders to move…

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Boulder

Heavy Restrictions

Boulder bans unauthorized camping citywide under B.R.C. § 5-6-10: no one may camp on city-owned park, parkway…

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Boulder County

Heavy Restrictions

Boulder County bans overnight camping, tents, and occupying a vehicle or trailer overnight on any Parks & Open Space…

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Centennial

Heavy Restrictions

Camping on any City-owned property in Centennial, rights-of-way, sidewalks, trails, parks, floodplains and open space…

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Colorado Springs

Heavy Restrictions

City Code § 9.6.110 bans camping, defined broadly as using a public area for human habitation, including presence of…

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Denver

Heavy Restrictions

Denver's urban camping ban makes it unlawful to camp on public or private property without authorization, covering both…

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Fort Collins

Heavy Restrictions

Fort Collins Municipal Code Section 17-181 makes it unlawful to camp or pitch a tent on any public property in the…

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Fountain

Heavy Restrictions

Section 9.24.070 of the Fountain Municipal Code bans camping on any public property unless a governmental authority…

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Greeley

Heavy Restrictions

Greeley bans camping on any public or private property citywide unless the city expressly authorizes the location…

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Littleton

Heavy Restrictions

Overnight camping and open fires are banned outright in every Littleton public park and open space, with no permit…

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Manitou Springs

Heavy Restrictions

Camping or sleeping in any city park, on a public street or on any other public property is unlawful in Manitou Springs…

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Weld County

Heavy Restrictions

Weld County enacted a countywide camping ban in 2023: Section 17-7-30 makes it unlawful to camp on any County-owned…

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Commerce City

Significant Restrictions

Commerce City bans camping on public property, and on private property without the owner's written consent, unless the…

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Grand Junction

Significant Restrictions

The City of Grand Junction may remove an unlawful encampment from public property under GJMC § 12.04.090 once…

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La Plata County

Significant Restrictions

On county property in La Plata County, Colorado, camping or putting up a tent, structure or shelter without written…

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Lakewood

Significant Restrictions

Lakewood bans storing tents, tarps, sleeping bags or other shelter materials on city-owned public property, including…

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Longmont

Significant Restrictions

Camping in a Longmont park, parkway, open space or other city property without a permit is unlawful under Municipal…

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Loveland

Significant Restrictions

Loveland's City Manager may civilly abate unauthorized encampments from public property under Municipal Code Chapter…

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Parker

Significant Restrictions

The Town of Parker bans camping or storing property on public property without express Town authorization. Parker…

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