St. George • A new ordinance adopted by the City Council last week gives police officers additional authority when handling situations concerning illegally camping on public and private property. The vote was not unanimous however, as one council member voiced concerns over private property rights and local government overreach.
Voted into local law by a 4-1 vote during the council’s Oct. 5 meeting, Ryan Dooley, assistant city attorney, said the purpose of the new code is to help keep the city’s public spaces free of the sanitation and safety hazards that unauthorized “camping” can create.
It also aims to prevent private property zoned for single family residences from turning into multi-family due to the creation of unofficial campsites or “mini-RV parks.”
“The residential camping ordinance pertains to vehicles that are used for habitation, dwelling, camping, or lodging,” city spokesman David Cordero told St. George News in an email. “The intent is to affirm that people cannot turn a single family residence into a multifamily residence by having folks living on their property out of a vehicle.”
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