Title
Consider/Discuss/Act on an Ordinance Amending Chapter 74 (Parks and Recreation) and Chapter 70 (Offenses and Miscellaneous Provisions) of the McKinney Code of Ordinances Pertaining to the Prohibition of Camping in Parks or Public Areas
Summary
COUNCIL GOAL: Enhance the Quality of Life in McKinney
MEETING DATE: September 16, 2025
DEPARTMENT: Police Department
Code Services Department
City Attorney's Office
CONTACT: Jennifer Arnold, AICP, Assistant City Manager
Joe Ellenburg, Chief of Police
Phillip Hubbard, Director of Code Services
Jeremy Page, Assistant City Attorney
RECOMMENDED CITY COUNCIL ACTION:
* Adoption of the proposed Ordinance.
ITEM SUMMARY:
* On May 7, 2019, the City Council adopted regulations prohibiting camping in parks and public areas, except for designated campsites in Erwin Park. These provisions were placed within Chapter 74 of the City's Code of Ordinances, which governs Parks and Recreation.
* Recent caselaw, including the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson (2024), have clarified the extent of municipal authority to regulate camping in public areas. Based on this ruling and to provide greater clarity and enforceability, staff recommends relocating and strengthening the City's camping regulations by:
o Repealing the existing provision in Chapter 74 (Parks and Recreation) related to camping.
o Adopting a new Article XI (Camping) within Chapter 70 (Offenses and Miscellaneous Provisions), which carries over the existing regulations from Chapter 74 and provides clarity on the definition of camping and public areas across the city where these activities are prohibited.
* Specifically, the ordinance:
o Prohibits camping in parks, rights-of-way, and other public areas, unless specifically permitted.
o Defines "camping" as activities such as storing belongings, using tents or shelters, cooking, fires, digging, or staying in vehicles overnight in City-owned lots and streets.
o Allows exceptions...
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