Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/23pdf/23-175_19m2.pdf
Page Number: 16.0

Cite as:  603 U. S. ____ (2024) 

11 

Opinion of the Court 

72 F. 4th, at 874; App. to Pet. for Cert. 167a–168a; 212a–
213a. 

Like  many  American  cities,  Grants  Pass  has  laws  re-
stricting camping in public spaces.  Three are relevant here. 
The first prohibits sleeping “on public sidewalks, streets, or 
alleyways.”  Grants  Pass  Municipal  Code  §5.61.020(A) 
(2023);  App.  to  Pet.  for  Cert.  221a.    The  second  prohibits
“[c]amping” on public property.  §5.61.030; App. to Pet. for
Cert.  222a  (boldface  deleted).  Camping  is  defined  as 
“set[ting] up . . . or remain[ing] in or at a campsite,” and a 
“[c]ampsite” is defined as “any place where bedding, sleep-
ing bag[s], or other material used for bedding purposes, or 
any stove or fire is placed . . . for the purpose of maintaining 
a temporary place to live.”  §§5.61.010(A)–(B); App. to Pet. 
for Cert. 221a.  The third prohibits “[c]amping” and “[o]ver-
night  parking”  in  the  city’s  parks.    §§6.46.090(A)–(B);  72 
F. 4th, at 876.  Penalties for violating these ordinances es-
calate  stepwise.  An  initial  violation  may  trigger  a  fine. 
§§1.36.010(I)–(J).  Those who receive multiple citations may
be subject to an order barring them from city parks for 30 
days.  §6.46.350; App. to Pet. for Cert. 174a.  And, in turn, 
violations of those orders can constitute criminal trespass,
punishable by a maximum of 30 days in prison and a $1,250 
fine.  Ore.  Rev.  Stat.  §§164.245,  161.615(3),  161.635(1)(c) 
(2023).

Neither of the named plaintiffs before us has been sub-
jected  to  an  order  barring  them  from  city  property  or  to 
criminal trespass charges.  Perhaps that is because the city
has  traditionally  taken  a  light-touch  approach  to  enforce-
ment.  The  city’s  officers  are  directed  “to  provide  law  en-
forcement services to all members of the community while 
protecting the rights, dignity[,] and private property of the
homeless.”    App.  152,  Grants  Pass  Dept.  of  Public  Safety
Policy  Manual  ¶428.1.1  (Dec.  17,  2018).    Officers  are  in-
structed  that  “[h]omelessness  is  not  a  crime.”    Ibid.  And 
they are “encouraged” to render “aid” and “support” to the