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Proposal to criminalize unauthorized private‑property camping draws housing advocates' opposition
Summary
SB 521 would make camping on private property without permission an enforceable violation in larger municipalities; proponents cited costly hazardous encampments, while advocates and the ACLU warned it risks criminalizing homelessness and shifting enforcement burdens to police.
Sen. Tara Rearen introduced SB 521, a bill that would make unauthorized camping on private property a punishable violation in municipalities with populations over 10,000. Proponents described constituent stories of hazardous cleanups and extended occupation that left property owners with large costs and safety concerns.
Supporters said the existing no‑trespass process can be slow, sometimes taking days to take effect, and that an explicit statutory remedy would allow immediate police action. One sponsor cited a constituent who faced roughly $50,000 in cleanup costs after a long‑running encampment.
Opponents, including the ACLU and homelessness advocates, argued the bill would expand police authority to penalize sleeping and shift the burden from housing policy to criminal enforcement. Rachel Potter (ACLU) warned the legislation could permit police to take enforcement action even without a property owner’s complaint, forcing an unhoused person to produce written permission on the spot or face citation.
Witnesses recommended alternatives: faster trespass processes, greater resourcing for outreach and shelter services, and careful drafting to avoid criminalizing survival behavior. The committee closed public testimony and will consider the tradeoffs between property‑owner remedies and the bill’s potential impacts on people experiencing homelessness.
