BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Birmingham City Council has passed an ordinance that bans unauthorized camping on city-owned property and lays out how crews may clear encampments. The measure was approved Tuesday, Nov. 10, and takes effect immediately.
City officials say the rules are meant to protect public health and sanitation, keep shared spaces open and protect infrastructure such as bridges and viaducts. The city puts the number of people living on Birmingham streets at about 500 in a typical month, and the ordinance means every encampment is handled by the same process.
The ordinance rests on three pillars: prohibiting unauthorized camping on public property, linking people who are homeless to outreach and services, and creating a set procedure for removing camps. How long people have to leave depends on the situation. The shortest window, two hours, applies when there is an emergency, a threat to safety or infrastructure, or a camp is interfering with a permitted event. A 24-hour window covers camps close to key infrastructure and similar priority sites. All other unauthorized camps get the standard 48 hours.
Notices must be written in English and Spanish. Belongings that qualify can be held in storage for as long as 30 days. Trained outreach workers will try to reach people ahead of any removal, offering shelter and other services when they can. Staff are still drafting detailed procedures for each step, from assessing a camp to documenting the removal.
Mayor Randall Woodfin said in the city’s announcement that the ordinance sets clear expectations and one consistent process, while keeping outreach and links to shelter and supportive services part of the response.
Birmingham HEART, the program that connects unhoused people with long-term resources, counts seven to eight encampments across the city. The ordinance covers encampments, which can be as small as two or three people gathered and sleeping in one place, and does not apply to an individual sleeping in a public space. Outreach workers plan to begin by marking off each camp and counting who stays there, then help people replace vital paperwork, like a Social Security card or identification, so they can qualify for housing.
A daytime shelter called Birmingham Oasis is meant to give people a safe place to rest while agencies connect them with services. Organizers had planned a September opening, but the shelter is now slated for next fall.
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