N.C. House Passes Bill to Prohibit Unauthorized Camping, Bill Heads to the Senate

Legislation addresses issues contributing to downtown blight in several N.C. cities

Yesterday, the North Carolina House passed HB 781, Unauthorized Public Camping & Sleeping, in a 69 – 42 vote, mostly along party lines.

What the legislation does:

• The bill prohibits local governments from authorizing any person to regularly engage in public camping or sleeping on public property unless the municipality designates a specific area with adequate sanitation facilities.

  • Additionally, the property designated for camping must be certified by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services as fit for human habitation.

• Additionally, the legislation creates a civil action against local governments that fail to enforce this law, allowing residents to hold their local leaders accountable.

Why This Matters

Since the pandemic, some of North Carolina’s downtown areas have experienced increased levels of homelessness and crime that have inhibited downtown revitalization efforts.

• While the City of Asheville has worked hard in recent years to address this issue, there is still a significant impact of crime on the downtown area.

• The City of Raleigh has been working to crack down on crime in the area, but notes that the problems still persist.

• The City of Charlotte has been fighting an increase in crime in the Uptown area.