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City staff says council adopted ordinance to ban overnight camping in public spaces
Summary
City staff reported that the Petoskey City Council recently adopted an ordinance preventing overnight camping in public spaces, citing recurring issues at the Bayfront and Bear River Valley. The ordinance is intended to allow staff to move people along from public spaces that interfere with shared use.
City staff reported to the Downtown Management Board on May 20, 2025 that the City Council had adopted an ordinance prohibiting overnight camping in public spaces.
Shane (city staff) told the board that council "adopted an ordinance that prevents overnight camping in public spaces." He said the change responds to repeated instances of larger conversion vans and other overnight occupation at the Bayfront and "recurring issues down in the Bear River Valley with folks occupying space in and along the river" that had reduced public enjoyment of those facilities.
Shane described the ordinance as allowing staff to "very gently move people along" so that public facilities can be used by all visitors and residents. No vote totals or ordinance number were provided in the board meeting report; Shane described the action as a council adoption that had occurred the night before the board meeting.
Board members and staff discussed the intent: to balance public access with compassion and enforcement tools, while minimizing impacts on the city's invested public amenities.
The Downtown Management Board did not take a formal vote on the council ordinance itself; the item was a report to the board.
