Encampments & Camping Within City Limits
The City of Mill Creek is dedicated to providing a clean, safe, and well-maintained city for all our residents to enjoy. We appreciate your support in keeping our community safe and clean for all of our residents. Safety is the City’s number one priority which takes a balanced enforcement approach to handling unauthorized encampments while supporting those individuals who are experiencing homelessness. How the City addresses camping within City limits depends on whether camping is happening on private property or public property. Below you will find information on how to address unauthorized camping and cleanup on private and public property.
Noticing Camping on Private Property and Trespass
If you notice individuals trespassing on private property, please notify the Mill Creek Police Department (MCPD) immediately by calling 911. This is the best approach to preventing camping on private property. If you notice that individuals are illegally camping on your property, please call 911 and request that Mill Creek police officers remove those individuals given the proper authorization from the private property owner or owners e.g. HOA or a commonly-owned property. You can also provide the MCPD with prior authorization to trespass individuals by completing the Advance Trespass Request form available by contacting the MCPD.
Note: Within City limits there is a lot green space and at times it may be difficult to determine if camping is taking place within your property boundaries. Snohomish County provides online resources that may help in providing you with boundary information.
https://snohomishcountywa.gov/5414/Interactive-Map-SCOPI
https://snohomishcountywa.gov/5167/55346/Assessor
Responsibility of Private Property Owners Per the Mill Creek Municipal Code (MCMC)
The
MCMC 17.24.030(A) requires that all buildings and other structures be maintained by the property owner in good repair with respect to exterior appearance and landscaping. Furthermore, MCMC 17.24.030(B).(1-5), requires that all landscaped and open space areas shall be kept free of litter, debris, invasive vegetation/weeds and obstructions, be maintained in a clean, neat and orderly fashion, kept free of junk vehicles and maintained so that all deposited materials in garbage and recycled containers are wholly contained in the structure as required by
MCMC 17.22.070. No litter or recyclable material shall be allowed to accumulate outside of containers.
The City of Mill Creek may require immediate correction of the conditions and take the action necessary to correct the conditions and hold the private property owner or owners responsible for the costs incurred, which costs shall become a lien against the property and may be enforced by foreclosure. Costs shall include but not be limited to: labor and material for performance of the work and any repair, administrative and supervisory time, attorney’s fees and costs and disposal fees.
Encampment Removal and Cleanup on Private Property
Cleanup of encampments that are located on private property are the responsibility of the private property owners. If there is an existing encampment on your property, there are many services found online that provide encampment cleanup services that specialize in removing litter, debris, invasive vegetation, hazardous materials and obstructions. An online search should provide you with many services that can provide encampment cleanup services. Prior to the day of cleanup, we recommend that you plan ahead and notify the MCPD to schedule officers to come out to your property and assess the potential presence of individuals camping on private property. Keep in mind that the MCPD will need prior authorization to remove individuals from your property unless the MCPD has an advance trespass notice for the property in question on file.
Note: If your property is a wetland buffer or in some way a protected area that has native vegetation, you will need to obtain City approval to remove ‘obstructions’. In this case, please contact the City of Mill Creek before you proceed with cleanup.
Unauthorized Use of Public Property & Unauthorized Storage of Personal Property on Public Property
Camping and the storage of personal property on public property within the City of Mill Creek is prohibited under
MCMC 9.04.520 “Unauthorized use of public property” and
MCMC 9.04.530 “Unauthorized storage of personal property on public property” respectively. If you see individuals camping or an encampment on public property, please call 911 and our MCPD will post a notice of violation and removal. The individual(s) will be provided 48 hours to remove their personal property from the location and cleanup will commence at the earliest, 14 days from the date of the posted notice. The individuals will be provided an opportunity to accept available shelter and services prior to removal of property or campsite.
If individuals continue to camp illegally, and decline social services, the city will enforce City code and remove their property from the location. This process may take several weeks to ensure that everyone involved is safe and legal requirements are met.
If you have any questions regarding unauthorized individuals on private or public property, please contact the MCPD during regular business hours at (425) 745-6175 or
[email protected]. If you have questions regarding encampment cleanup please contact the Public Works Department at (425) 551-7254 or
[email protected].