Sleeping outside in Boise will soon earn you a ticket, even if there are no shelter beds available.
On Tuesday, Boise Police Chief Chris Dennison presented plans for the upcoming ordinance change to make sleeping on public sidewalks, parks, in cars, or on other public property a ticketable offense 24 hours in Boise. This change comes after Governor Brad Little signed SB 1141, brought by Sen. Codi Galloway, R-Boise, during the 2025 legislative session, requiring cities larger than 100,000 residents to enforce a camping ban, or else face a fine levied by the Idaho Attorney General.
The fine for violating the ordinance will be a $10 ticket, which can be given at any time during the day, regardless of whether there is a bed in a city emergency shelter available or not. This is a change from the city’s current ordinance, where tickets are only issued for sleeping outside if there are shelter beds available and someone is choosing not to use them. The city issued 74 citations for camping using this ordinance in the past three years, according to Dennison…