Lincoln council adopts tougher camping rules, citing Supreme Court rulings; public and officers outline enforcement tools

Lincoln city leaders voted unanimously Jan. 14 to adopt Ordinance 1085b, an amendment to Lincoln Municipal Code chapter 9.4 that tightens local rules on camping on public and private property and expands enforcement tools available to city staff and police.

City Attorney Christine Mollenkopf told the council the changes follow recent U.S. Supreme Court guidance and update Lincoln’s ordinance to give staff clearer authority to address encampments. “The U.S. Supreme Court has ... said that local municipalities have the right to enforce anti‑camping ordinances within their jurisdictions,” Mollenkopf said, and the draft ordinance restores and refines enforcement language the city had previously adjusted after Martin v. Boise.

Mollenkopf and staff said the revision narrows the statutory definition of an encampment — reducing the threshold from four people to two people in proximity — and clarifies what city staff must treat as personal property during an eviction. The revised definition limits city storage obligations to irreplaceable personal items such as cash, family photographs, prescription medication and government‑issued identification, rather than general clothing or bedding that staff said is often unsanitary and readily replaceable.

The ordinance also names the city…