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Park County commissioners approve ordinance banning camping on county lands
Summary
After public comment focused on housing insecurity and neighborhood impacts, Park County commissioners voted unanimously to adopt an ordinance prohibiting camping on county-owned lands; health and housing advocates urged more housing solutions while some residents pushed for designated camping options.
Park County commissioners at their regular meeting approved an ordinance prohibiting camping on county lands after extended public comment about housing needs and local public-safety concerns.
Laurel Desnick, Park County health officer, told the commission the community health assessment identified housing as the county’s top issue and pointed to sharp income disparities: “the bottom 40% of households in this county all combined earn less than 9% of the total income brought in to Park County,” and she said 23% of children in the county live below the poverty line. Catherine Daly of the Park County Housing Coalition (HRDC) said median rents in the county are about $1,590 a month — roughly $400 higher than what a median renter household income can currently afford — and noted the county’s point-in-time count identified 21 people last year, five of them chronically homeless.
Several residents described the local effects of high housing costs. Carol McCubbin said she and family members had bought a self-contained camper to save money while they looked for land to buy: “We decided to buy a camper ... and we live up on the flats right now, and it's self contained. ... We're not destitute, but we will be if we don't continue on the route we're going.” Another commenter raised public-safety and nuisance concerns tied to unmanaged encampments.
At the same time, online commenter Sabina Strauss urged the commission to pass the no-camping ordinance, arguing that permitting camping on public property would not solve homelessness: “If we allow people to continue to camp on public property, it's not going to stop.”
After discussion about providing consistent enforcement and clarifying law-enforcement options — Commissioners noted existing federal public-land rules such as those administered by the BLM and Forest Service — Commissioner Wells moved to approve the ordinance prohibiting camping on Park County lands. The motion was seconded and the commission recorded affirmative votes and declared the motion passed.
The meeting record shows the vote was taken following public comment and departmental presentations; the ordinance provides county law-enforcement with a clear local standard for camping on county-owned rights-of-way and property. The commission and county staff also discussed parallel efforts and alternatives, including working with HRDC and other partners on transitional and affordable housing and potential event-specific camping rules tied to the fairgrounds.
The ordinance’s immediate effect is to give local enforcement a standard for addressing camping on county-owned parcels; commissioners and advocates agreed the ordinance does not by itself create new housing resources. Commissioners said staff and partners will continue exploring housing programs and funding to address the underlying affordability issues raised during public comment.
