Lisa Gardner, City Council Communications Director, lgardner@spokanecity.org
Tuesday, July 1, 2025 at 9:56 a.m.
During tonight’s Legislative Session, the Spokane City Council approved two ordinances to address homelessness in Spokane. After months of community feedback from roundtables and the passage of ordinances, including Ban the Address, the Council adopted changes to engagement and enforcement, incorporating best practices for siting and activating inclement weather centers.
Ordinance C36679 Obstruction and Unauthorized Camping:
This ordinance consolidates existing laws on unauthorized camping into a single, unified policy while addressing the intent of voters who approved Proposition 1 in 2023, which was overturned by the Washington State Supreme Court in April. The amended ordinance ensures everyone has access to public property and rights-of-way by regulating knowing obstruction. It prohibits unauthorized camping while emphasizing engagement by connecting people to evidence-based navigation services and providing law enforcement with a clear and consistent enforcement mechanism.
Ordinance C36694 Aggressive Solicitation: Aggressive solicitation involves seeking something of value while knowingly engaging in behaviors that could intimidate a reasonable person. This includes, but is not limited to, touching, following, persisting in solicitation after being refused, using violent or threatening language or gestures, or taking similar actions to force compliance with the solicitation.
“We all agree that people should not be sleeping on the streets. The Obstruction Ordinance makes unauthorized camping a misdemeanor offense in not only the Proposition 1 area, but also makes it illegal citywide at all times,” said Council Member Zack Zappone. “Enforcement will emphasize engagement first to get individuals to services and then citation if there is non-compliance. This ordinance does not solve the question of where people will go. Now we can turn our attention to where people go, such as safe stays, safe parking, sobering beds, and permanent housing.”
“The amended camping ordinance helps clarify our existing laws while maintaining public health and safety for all,” said Council Member Paul Dillon. “This is not the end as we will be evaluating and monitoring implementation while continuing to address upstream solutions, so people have a place to go.”
For more information regarding the Council’s approach and the collaboration between Council Members, the Mayor, local businesses, and community organizations to review homelessness-related ordinances or to watch the round table discussion, visit https://my.spokanecity.org/endinghomelessness/city-councils-approach/
