Spokane Municipal Code

Title 12 Public Ways and Property

Chapter 12.02 Obstruction, Encroachment of Public Ways

Article VI. Protection of Public Lands and Properties

Section 12.02.1009 Integrated Outreach | Encampment Removal and Prevention

Prior to the removal of any encampment:

1. A notice shall be posted prior to a citation issued under SMC 12.02.1007(B) so that the Spokane Homeless Outreach Team or a City-designated service provider may offer navigation and relocation assistance to services including but not limited to an emergency or permanent housing solution, day center, crisis stabilization or crisis relief center, or substance use treatment facility.

2. Notice requirements pursuant to SMC 12.02.1009(A) shall not be required to remove an unauthorized encampment when there is a reasonable belief that such encampment presents an immediate threat and/or an unreasonable risk of harm to life, public health, or safety, or public property which shall include, but is not limited to:

1. 1. physical threats or violence.

1. 2. criminal activity not inherent in the act of unauthorized camping (e.g., drug use or sales, theft, sex trafficking);

1. 3. a condition that significantly increases the likelihood of disease or the spread of disease (e.g., rodents, exposed meat, human waste);

1. 4. a condition that presents a significant risk of bodily injury or death (e.g., discarded needles, vehicular traffic, weapons);

1. 5. any other substantial threat to public health or safety;

1. 6. damage (including potential or foreseeable damage) to the natural environment of environmentally critical areas;

1. 7. significant amounts of trash;

1. 8. any knowing obstruction of access to or use of any portion of public property, or any camping in or upon any public property unless authorized by a local or state emergency declaration or pursuant to a permit as set forth in SMC 12.02.1007 A and B;

1. 9. occupation of an area in which the public is not allowed to be present during the times camping is occurring; or

1. 10. directly adjacent to streets and moving vehicles.

3. The City shall prioritize and expedite the outreach efforts for navigation and relocation assistance to services or removal for any unauthorized encampment within 1000 feet of schools, parks, day care centers or childcare facilities, and emergency shelters.

4. The City shall establish and maintain administrative policy and procedures that integrate housing-focused outreach and behavioral health services with the removal and prevention of encampments on public property while protecting the personal property rights of individuals subject to enforcement under this section.

 

Date Passed: Monday, June 30, 2025

Effective Date: Wednesday, August 6, 2025

ORD C36679 Section 6