City ordinance banning urban camping goes into full effect

Ordinance 2172 went into full effect last Saturday, banning urban camping across Bozeman. The ordinance, passed last November, includes fines of up to $500 and potential jail time for those in violation, according to Montana Free Press.

The ordinance prohibits camping on public property and the public right-of-way, defined as property administered by the city used for transportation purposes. This includes streets, roads and sidewalks. 

Section 2.08.220 of the ordinance established a temporary period allowing unhoused individuals to apply for a permit to camp within Bozeman city limits. 

The permit system was a way for the city to ease into a total ban on urban camping, according to Benjamin Bailey, the City’s neighborhood services and code compliance program manager.

“When [Ordinance] 2172 got initiated, almost 50 percent of people who were on the right-of-way left because they weren’t tied to the community,” Bailey said.

The ordinance outlined specific requirements for these permits, including a 30-day stay limit and restrictions on where camping would be permitted. However, the city reversed the 30-day limitation during the permitting period ordinance’s adoption, according to Bailey. The permitting period was also set to end after one year.

“It was pretty difficult for folks to pack up everything and move. They had to spend money on gas and propane and whatever else to facilitate that, so [the removal of the 30-day limit] saved some money for them,” Bailey said.

The permitting period ended on Nov. 1, fully banning urban camping.

 “An ordinance isn’t a solution. [It’s] a way to manage behaviors or situations, but doesn’t really invest in actual solutions on the ground,” said Heather Grenier, CEO of the Human Resource Development Council (HRDC). 

The HRDC is a private, Bozeman-based nonprofit focused on building a better community by fighting poverty and offsetting the high cost of living in Southwest Montana, according to its website.

Grenier said that, while the ordinance did help curb the homeless population without ties to Bozeman, it has not changed the overall growth of the city’s homeless population. 

According to her, Bozeman’s homeless population increased by over 100 people between 2024 and 2025. “There are more than 500 people without housing,” she said. “We’re going in the wrong direction.”

Several organizations around Bozeman provide resources to those in need. “Specifically in responding to homelessness, it's [the HRDC], Haven and Family Promise,” Grenier said. These places offer overnight shelters and transitional housing for families. Additionally, food banks like the HRDC’s Gallatin Valley Food Bank provide food for those in need, she said. 

“At the end of the day, everyone’s human,” Bailey said. “From what I’ve seen, there’s a lot of support — neighbors being neighborly. Showing that kind of compassion and grace can go a long way.”

To find out more about resources for individuals struggling with homelessness, visit https://www.bozeman.net/departments/administration/neighborhood-services-parking/unhoused-in-public-rights-of-way.