• When shelter is not available, overnight camping on certain public property is allowed between 7 pm and 7 am.

Allowed areas:

• Allowed areas include the public right-of-way — generally between the sidewalk and curb — and limited outdoor City-owned property.

  • Note: Vacant City-owned properties where overnight camping may occur are closed for public use between 7 am and 7 pm to allow the sites to be fully cleaned during the day. This includes Block 67 in Downtown Hillsboro and the property in Northeast Hillsboro near the City’s Public Works building.

• Visit the interactive Public Camping Map.

Camping is not permitted within:

• Residential zones
  
  
• 10 feet of business doorways
  
  
• City parks, property with City buildings, or active City parking lots 
  
  
• 500 feet (about two blocks) of shelters or homelessness services 
  
  
• 500 feet (about two blocks) of K-12 schools, not including daycares or preschools
  
  
• Protected natural areas
  
  
• 500 feet (about two blocks) of a freeway entrance or exit, or along roads with speed limits of 45 miles per hour or higher
  
  
• Areas under repair or construction
  
  
• Areas currently hosting permitted special events or under temporary use permit
  
  
• Areas without a curb or traffic barrier
  
  
• Within 10 feet any driveway, bridge, culvert, or viaduct

People engaging in camping may not:

• Leave behind litter or waste, including dumping of wastewater or sewage.
  
  
• Block travel on any street, travel lane, or sidewalk. Three feet of sidewalk must be open for travel — not including the curb — as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
  
  
• Cause direct damage to the environment by harming trees, cutting vegetation, disturbing wildlife, or moving soil.
  
  
• Start a fire or burn garbage. Camp stoves and small cooking devices are allowed when used safely.
  
  

• Store personal property larger than a shopping cart (5 cubic feet) on public property. This includes camping supplies.

  • Store personal items on City property for more than three hours.
    
    
• Put up any structure that is not portable.
  
  
• Block or attach camping gear to structures in the public right-of-way, such as fire hydrants, utility poles, trees, vehicles, or buildings.
  
  
• Connect to electrical or other utilities without permission.

Vehicles used for camping must park in the right-of-way and are subject to the manner restrictions noted above, as well as current parking regulations under Hillsboro Municipal Code Section 8.12.030.

• Restrooms must be available.
  
  
• Garbage & recycling disposal must be provided.
  
  
• Storage must be provided. Personal items may not be visible from public streets.
  
  
• No payment or service may be exchanged for private camping.
  
  
• No agreement or authorization that would create a tenancy may be required.

Liability Limitations

• All people participating in private camping do so at their own risk.
  
  
• The updated rules do not create or establish any duty or liability for the City or its officers, employees or agents, with respect to any loss related to bodily injury (including death) or property damage (including destruction).
  
  
• Property owners are required to inform each individual and their guardian, if they are a minor, of this limitation.

A combination of up to three total vehicles or tents may be used for camping in any parking lot on the following properties: 

• Developed property owned by a religious institution or public agency, including the City of Hillsboro (regardless of zoning)
  
  
• Active nonprofit or business property with one or more buildings (regardless of zoning)
  
  
• Vacant property zoned for commercial or industrial use (a supervised program may be required)

One backyard tent OR one vehicle in a driveway may be allowed on residential or mixed-used properties with an occupied home.

• Total occupants on the property may not exceed 10 people.
  
  
• Tents must be less than 120 square feet and placed at least five feet from any property line and the home.
  
  
• Any tenants must authorize camping in addition to the registered property owner.

Permission Canceled by Property Owner or Tenant

Any property owner or tenant may remove camping permission at any time and for any reason.

Generally, any person camping must leave and remove all belongings as quickly as possible and in no more than four hours of receiving notice.

Permission Canceled by City Manager

The City Manager may remove camping permission when any activity on the property:

• Is incompatible with uses of adjacent property
• Violates any federal, state, or local law, rule, or regulation
• Constitutes a nuisance
• Creates an unreasonable public health, safety, or welfare risk

In general, any person camping must vacate and remove all belongings within 12 hours of receiving notice. The manager's decision may be appealed in writing within five days of receiving notice.

Sites must be operated by:

• The City of Hillsboro or other local government.
  
  OR
  
  
• An organization with at least two year's experience operating sanctioned campsites or emergency shelters. Must be a local housing authority, religious corporation, or public benefit corporation supporting homelessness.

OR

• A nonprofit corporation partnering with local government or an experienced organization as listed above.

Conditions

• There can be no charge for use.
   
• Must include sleeping areas, regular trash and recycling service, and restrooms.
  
  
• Must not create unreasonable risk to public health, safety, or welfare
   
• The City Manager may create reasonable rules for each campsite, such as:
  • Length of use
  • Hours of operation
  • How many guests are permitted
  • Number of restrooms, trash, and recycling areas

Exclusion (Removal From Area)

• People breaking camping rules may receive a citation or be removed and banned from the City-owned property — known as exclusion. They will have an opportunity to comply before an exclusion notice is issued.

• Exclusions are limited to the area where the violation took place & may last up to 90 days.

• If an excluded person stays on the property or returns, they may be arrested or cited for Criminal Trespass II.

Personal Property

• Personal property used for camping or stored on public property in violation of the rules may be taken for safekeeping.

Private & Sanctioned Camping

• The City Manager may remove approval for sanctioned and private camping for property owners and/or guests who break camping rules.

What should I do if people are camping in violation of the adopted time, place, and manner restrictions?

To report camps not in compliance, please call Washington County Non-Emergency Dispatch at 503-629-0111.

I’m concerned about mental health issues and drug use in the community. What is the City doing to work on these issues?

If you believe someone is in a crisis related to mental health and/or addiction, call Washington County’s Crisis Line at 503-291-9111. If there is immediate, life-threatening danger, dial 911. 

The City of Hillsboro recognize that there are gaps in mental health care and addiction treatment both nationally and locally.  

The City of Hillsboro works to connect people to Washington County's county-wide mental health and addiction services system. To add capacity, the County is developing a new Center for Addiction Triage and Treatment with additional treatment beds, a peer drop-in center, and many other services.

When the camping rules are enforced, how will people camping be connected with services?

Hillsboro Police Department staff carry and distribute contact cards with information for Washington County’s Community Connect homeless response system. They may also direct people living unsheltered to day centers and other resources.

What resources are available for people living unsheltered?

Day Centers: 

Project Homeless Connect
363 SE 6th Avenue
Phone: 971-713-8965

Open Door HousingWorks
34420 SW Tualatin Valley Highway
Phone: 503-640-6689

HomePlate Youth Services (serves ages 12 to 24) 
494 E Main Street
503-320-8965

Shelter & Homelessness Resources: 

Call 211 or Community Connect at 503-640-3263

Why doesn’t the City just create enough shelter beds so camping does not need to be allowed in public spaces?

While we know shelter services don’t end homelessness, they are a emergency response resource to serve people experiencing a housing crisis.

The City and Washington County have greatly increased local shelter capacity over the last couple of years. We continue to work towards ensuring year-round shelter capacity that meets the needs of everyone who is living outside, including work on projects such as the Safe Rest Pods on SW 17th Avenue and the Year-Round Shelter Project.  

Available shelter options may not be accessible to everyone. An assessment of the situation and needs of each person must be made to determine if there is a shelter bed available for them at a given time.

How will people experiencing homelessness know whether shelter beds are available?

The expectation would not be for community members living unsheltered to know whether a shelter bed that meets their needs is available. 

Instead, the Hillsboro Police Department's Crisis Intervention Team will work with compassion to complete individualized assessments and connect people who are camping with local outreach teams, service providers, and appropriate shelter.

The Crisis Intervention Team works with local shelters on a day-to-day basis and can connect community members with emergency shelter beds if they are available. 

Individualized assessments are especially important to determine shelter availability, as not every type of shelter meets the needs of every person in the community. 

For example: 

• A shelter with stairs and no elevator would not meet the needs of a person who uses a wheelchair. 
• A shelter that does not allow animals would not meet the needs of a community member with a pet.

How will litter, garbage, and debris be managed? 

Per Oregon Revised Statue 164.805, offensive littering is a Class C misdemeanor. In addition, the Manager’s Administrative Rules require trash or other debris to be discarded properly.

The Hillsboro Police Department’s Crisis Intervention Team, Bicycle Team, and Code Compliance Team work together to connect face-to-face with community members, address livability issues, and enforce laws, including those related to littering.

We have also launched an Outdoor Cleanup through Supportive Employment project, and are working with contractors to remove trash, debris, and shopping carts from Hillsboro’s public spaces and natural areas. These teams will work in areas of the City where camping in public spaces is allowed to occur and other hotspot areas.

Will the camping code apply to land within the City that is owned by other public entities?

The updated camping ordinance rules apply to City-owned property. The City does not control land owned by other private or public entities, such as the Washington County or the State of Oregon.

However, the rules do apply to all publicly-owned rights-of-way within the City limits that are not governed by camping rules created by other agencies. 

How were allowed camping areas selected? 

The City did not directly choose specific areas where camping is allowed.

Instead, we created a list of areas where camping will not be allowed, with considerations for: 

• Community feedback & Camping Ordinance Workgroup recommendations
• Safety (not allowed near roads with high speed limits)
• Accessible locations (near public transportation)
• Leaving adequate space for all people who do not have shelter

The Workgroup and City staff also worked to ensure that the overall camping rules are objectively reasonable. 

By identifying areas where camping is not allowed, we were able to identify allowed locations. View the Camping Areas Map.