Missoula council bans camping in parks, narrows camping windows and tightens enforcement in amended ordinance

Missoula City Council voted 9–3 on Dec. 2 to approve an amended ordinance changing Title 1260 of the Missoula Municipal Code, removing city parks from permitted camping locations, adjusting winter camping hours and altering enforcement procedures.

Council President Cheryl Sherrill, one of the ordinance sponsors, told the council she supported changes because parks pose conflicts and safety issues for both campers and other users. "I believe the vast majority of our community does not want people camping in our parks, and neither do I," she said during sponsor remarks.

The approved ordinance keeps in place the city's broader urban-camping framework while adopting several changes the council accepted in friendly and published amendments. Key elements that city staff and the sponsors highlighted in prior briefings and in legal walkthroughs include:

- Prohibiting overnight camping on lands classified as city parks (chapter/section changes to Title 1260 and references to Chapter 1240).

- Narrowing the permitted night-time window for camping outside buffer zones during winter to allow camping from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. between Nov. 1 and March 1 (a sponsor'accepted friendly amendment).

- Changes to vehicle camping rules, including removing the 120-hour unpermitted allowance and allowing up to two permitted vehicles on a block where feasible.

- Enforcement and penalties: staff and the city attorney outlined moving certain proceedings…