BREMERTON, Wash. — The Bremerton City Council will consider an ordinance Wednesday night that bans camping in parks and on the public right of way even when overnight shelter space is not available.
Ordinance 5482 would update the city's existing code regarding unauthorized camping to outline which places people who are unhoused are and aren't allowed to camp when there is no available shelter space.
The 2004 version of the city's law outright bans all public camping, but updates were required to be made due to the 2019 Ninth Circuit Court decision, Martin v City of Boise, which outlaws enforcement of camping bans in circumstances where there is nowhere else for people to go.
Under the new ordinance, enforcement of the public camping ban will not be enforced when there is no available shelter space, except for in these locations:
- Any park, unless otherwise authorized by the Parks Director
- In the public right of way, including streets, sidewalks and spaces between streets and sidewalks
- City-owned buildings, parking lots and appurtenances used to conduct city business, like City Hall or the Bremerton Police Department
- Properties owned by the city that are not open to the public and which are posted with signs prohibiting trespass
Violating the ordinance would result in a $25 fine for each infraction. Each day the ordinance is violated would count as a separate infraction. Anyone who receives three or more infractions within a two-year period could be charged with a misdemeanor.
According to the ordinance, the number of unhoused people has increased by 34% between 2022 and 2023. The Kitsap Point-in-Time count, which is likely an underestimation, found that there were 245 unsheltered individuals in Kitsap County, with 58% of those people being surveyed in Bremerton.
The ordinance would take effect ten days from the date it's passed.
