Homelessness: Changes to Camping Rules

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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.

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
Camping is also allowed at registered private property and sanctioned campsites. Local service providers and the Hillsboro Police Department’s Crisis Intervention Team work face-to-face with people living unsheltered to explain the new rules and connect them with services.

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.


Have a question? Ask us below.

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.

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
Camping is also allowed at registered private property and sanctioned campsites. Local service providers and the Hillsboro Police Department’s Crisis Intervention Team work face-to-face with people living unsheltered to explain the new rules and connect them with services.

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.


Have a question? Ask us below.

  • Oregon House Bill 3115

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    House Bill 3115 requires cities & counties in Oregon to allow community members to sleep and rest on public property — with restrictions — when no shelter beds are accessible.

    Under House Bill 3115, local laws must be objectively reasonable as to the time, place, and manner that community members experiencing homelessness may be allowed to sit, lie, sleep, or keep warm and dry outdoors on public property.

    Cities Can Regulate:

    Time: Cities can prohibit camping during certain hours

    Place: Cities can limit camping to certain areas

    Manner: Cities can restrict amount of personal property and how camping occurs (this could determine what types of tents, structures, or storage of belongings may be allowed on public property)

    Existing rules: Cities can continue to enforce existing laws and ordinances regarding littering, fires, vandalism, and other crimes

    The Updates Do Not:

    Reduce the number of persons living outside.

    Homelessness will still be visible in our community until we reduce unsheltered homelessness through proven solutions.

    Provide a solution to homelessness.

    Only proven solutions, such as expanding prevention, outreach, and available shelter and housing options can reduce homelessness.

    Manage the impacts of camping activities.

    Ordinances simply regulate camping by providing some basic parameters that are objectively reasonable given our current local context. Other ordinances are needed to manage impacts.

    The Updates May:

    Provide people in need with reasonable times, places, and ways to rest and sleep on public property.

    Help service providers more easily engage with people living unhoused.

    The Updates Do:

    Restrict camping in certain public spaces, such as City parks, persevered natural areas, and close to schools and businesses.

    Restrict camping on public property during certain hours of the day.

  • Johnson v. City of Grants Pass, Formerly Blake v. City of Grants Pass (2022)

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    Laws must allow "necessary minimal measures" for people experiencing homelessness to "keep themselves warm and dry" and "rudimentary forms of protection" from the elements.

  • Martin v. Boise (2019)

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    In the April 2019 Martin v. City of Boise decision, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court ruled that community members experiencing homelessness cannot be punished for sleeping outside on public property in the absence of adequate alternatives, or unless the law imposes “reasonable time, place and manner” restrictions.

    This agreed with the suit's central premise that:

    As long as there is no option of sleeping indoors, the government cannot criminalize sleeping outdoors, on public property, on the false premise they had a choice in the matter.

  • Oregon House Bill 3124 (2021)

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    House Bil 3124 requires cities in Oregon to:

    • Provide a 72-hour notice of the intent to remove an established campsite
    • Notices of the intention to remove the established camp site must be posted at each entrance to the site
    • Preserve items from campsites, that are reasonably identified as belonging to an individual and have apparent value or utility — not including drugs, weapons, or stolen property — for at least 30 days so that the owner can reclaim them
Page last updated: 14 Feb 2024, 10:34 AM