Overview
- City leaders unveiled a draft ordinance that would prohibit people from sleeping or living in cars, RVs, or campers on public property at night, with a public hearing planned for early May and a council vote later in the month.
- The measure would apply between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. on streets, sidewalks, park strips, parks, and other public spaces, with exceptions for permitted parade queues, explicit government permission, or a declared emergency.
- Enforcement would pause during Code Blue periods, which the city uses in the coldest months to relax rules so people can avoid life‑threatening exposure.
- Mayor Erin Mendenhall’s office describes the change as a public‑safety tool to protect health and access to shared spaces, after years of uneven policing that relied on a 48‑hour parking rule not designed for people living in vehicles.
- Advocates and some council members warn the policy could lead to more tickets and arrests without legal overnight parking or added shelter beds, noting people often sleep in cars to keep jobs and that mobile shelters like Nomad Alliance’s winter bus could be sidelined without a sanctioned lot.