Homelessness: Changes to Camping Rules
Homelessness impacts individuals, families, and communities across the country.
In Hillsboro and Washington County, there are not enough shelter beds for everyone who needs them on any given night.
As the City continues to pursue solutions with community partners and create a Year-Round Shelter, we also updated our camping rules to:
- Recognize the need for community members to sleep and rest on public property
- Preserve Hillsboro's livability for all
- Comply with state and federal laws
Camping Rules in Effect
After reviewing community workgroup recommendations and survey results, the Hillsboro City Council adopted new camping rules in effect July 1.
- Visit the Camping Rules webpage for the full guidelines.
- View the NEW, interactive Camping Areas Map with address search and zoom capability.
People with no available shelter may camp overnight from 7 pm to 7 am on certain public property, including:
- The public right-of-way, generally between the sidewalk and curb
- Limited outdoor City-owned property
Community Engagement
Community-Wide Feedback
In March & April, all community members were invited to provide input via the Camping Rules Survey and Ask Us a Question tools available on this page.
Community Advisors: Camping Ordinance Workgroup
Thirty to 40 diverse community stakeholders met three times this spring to:
- Learn about proposed ordinance updates
- Review questions and community-wide survey results
- Provide recommendations to the Hillsboro City Council
You can watch Workgroup session recordings and read discussion points here on Engage Hillsboro.
January 2024 Updates: Public Comment
In January 2024, community members were invited to provide public comment on two proposed updates to the rules for camping on public property, which are now in effect. See the summary below or read our latest news article to learn more.