New laws and court rulings that change life outside — explained straight, dated, and checked. We are not lawyers; for advice, call Legal Aid of North Carolina at 1-866-219-5262.
What happened. Grants Pass, a town in Oregon, made it a fineable offense to sleep in public parks and streets — even with just a blanket. There were not enough shelter beds in town for everyone outside. People who were cited sued, and a lower court (the Ninth Circuit, which covers the West Coast) said a city may not punish people for sleeping outside when there is nowhere else for them to go.
What the Supreme Court said. On June 28, 2024, by a 6–3 vote, the Court disagreed. It ruled that enforcing camping laws does not violate the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment — not even when shelter beds run out. The majority said the Eighth Amendment is about what punishment is allowed after a conviction, and that homelessness policy belongs to elected officials, not federal judges.
There is no longer a federal constitutional right to sleep outside when no shelter bed is open. Cities may enforce camping bans. Cities do not have to — how hard a city enforces its ban is still a local choice, made by local leaders.
What it means in North Carolina. The old West Coast rule (from Martin v. Boise) never bound North Carolina — we are in the Fourth Circuit, not the Ninth. So this ruling changes less here than in California or Oregon. But it removed the strongest federal argument against camping bans everywhere, and NC towns that already had bans kept them. Charlotte’s rule is below.
What it does not change. The ruling is only about the Eighth Amendment. Other rights still stand: your property cannot simply be destroyed without notice, your speech (including asking for help) is still protected, and police still need a lawful reason to stop or search you. See Know Your Rights.
Explainer checked October 19, 2026. Case: City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, 603 U.S. 520 (2024).
What the rule says. Charlotte’s city code (Chapter 15, Section 15-26) makes it unlawful for anyone to camp on any public property owned by the city — including public rights-of-way and sidewalks. The city’s definition of camping includes sleeping or making preparations to sleep, laying down bedding, storing personal belongings, or putting up a tent, tarp, or other shelter on city property for living purposes.
On city-owned land in Charlotte — parks, sidewalks, medians, rights-of-way — sleeping outside is against a city ordinance, even without a tent. A blanket and a bag can count. The rule is about the place (city property), not about who you are.
What we could and could not verify. The ordinance text above is quoted from the city code as published by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and the UNC School of Government, checked October 19, 2026. What we cannot verify is a single written city policy for how the rule is enforced day to day — enforcement in practice has varied over the years, from outreach-first to clear-outs, and it changes with city leadership. If officers tell you to move, the steps on our Know Your Rights page (ask where you can go, ask about your property, keep ID and medicine on you) are written for exactly that moment.
Private land is different. Sleeping on someone else’s land without permission is trespassing under state law, whatever the camping rule says.
Checked October 19, 2026 against CMPD’s published ordinances page and the UNC School of Government. If the city amends 15-26, this page will be corrected and re-dated.
How this section works: when a law that affects our readers changes — a court ruling, a city council vote, a new state rule — we explain it here, in plain words, with the date we checked it. Spotted a change we missed? Tell us through the Dispatch.