Walla Walla County workshops blanket "no camping" ordinance; commissioners press for clearer discretion, storage and city coordination

Walla Walla County commissioners on Oct. 13 heard a detailed presentation and community feedback on a circulated draft ordinance that would prohibit camping on county property and establish a legal framework for removing unauthorized encampments.

Sebastian, a prosecutor with the county prosecuting attorney's office, told the board the draft is intended as “a no camping ordinance, period,” modeled on recent municipal ordinances adopted after the Grants Pass court decision and designed to give the county an enforceable mechanism while preserving options to connect people with services. “This ordinance is designed to account for those factors to provide a clear and legally enforceable mechanism,” he said.

Why it matters: The proposal would criminalize erecting or occupying campsites on county property (a misdemeanor as drafted) and set out notice, decampment and property‑storage procedures. That raises constitutional, operational and budget questions for a county with scattered rural roads and limited…