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Tusayan council adopts ordinance giving local police authority to restrict urban camping
Summary
The Tusayan Town Council on Jan. 14 unanimously adopted Ordinance 2025-01 to prohibit urban camping on designated public places and provide enforcement tools for aggravating conditions such as trash and open fires; councilmembers directed staff to coordinate designations and enforcement with the Forest Service and county law enforcement.
The Tusayan Town Council voted Jan. 14 to adopt Ordinance 2025-01, which prohibits urban camping on town public property and gives local law enforcement discretionary authority to address persistent camping and related aggravating conditions.
Town Manager Hendrix told the council staff had consulted repeatedly with county law enforcement and the U.S. Forest Service and that "law enforcement was very emphatic about wanting this Ordinance." She said the measure is intended to provide local officers with a tool to address public-safety concerns that the Forest Service’s 14-day camping rule does not allow them to enforce within town boundaries.
The ordinance allows the council to designate public property where camping is permitted; Hendrix advised the council that in designated camping areas the 14-day Forest Service limit would not be enforceable by the town. Councilmembers asked staff to prioritize enforcement at the Moqui Cookout Site and the Sports Complex and to ensure school property rules are enforced at the school site.
Council Member Josh Collet moved to pass the ordinance and Vice Mayor Greg Brush seconded; the motion carried with Mayor Clarinda Vail, Vice Mayor Brush, Collet and Council Member Andrew Aldaz voting in favor (Council Member Kathryn Kanallakan absent). After the vote, the council discussed providing guidance to law enforcement that the ordinance should be applied where aggravating circumstances—such as accumulated trash, open fires, shooting near town boundaries, or other public-safety risks—are present.
Deputy District Ranger Annette Smits of the U.S. Forest Service told the council case-by-case conversations and mapped designations would be useful, and the council directed staff to coordinate with Forest Service law enforcement and Arizona Game and Fish on hunting and firearm concerns near town and school property.
The ordinance establishes civil penalties and a process for citations; council members emphasized they do not intend immediate mass removal from Forest Service lands but want a local enforcement option where public-safety issues arise. The council also directed staff to return with mapped recommendations for designated camping sites and to advise law enforcement on interim application of the ordinance.
The council adjourned the discussion with instructions for staff to balance public-safety enforcement with coordination among agencies and the Forest Service.
