Josephine County Judge Sarah McGlaughlin has signed an order allowing the City of Grants Pass to resume enforcement of its ordinances prohibiting overnight resting in several public parks. The order, issued on the morning of May 29 by Judge Sarah E. McGlaughlin, modifies a preliminary injunction that had restricted the city’s ability to regulate camping in public spaces as part of an ongoing legal dispute with Disability Rights Oregon.
The newly modified order grants city officials the authority to enforce overnight camping bans in the following parks: Eckstein Park, Fruitdale Park, Lawnridge Park, Morrison Centennial Park, Tussing Park, Redwood Park, and Westholm Park. Enforcement had previously been paused under the March 28 injunction while the case worked its way through the legal system.
This update comes after attorneys for both the City of Grants Pass and Disability Rights Oregon submitted a joint motion last week requesting the modification. In their May 23 filing, both parties acknowledged that the city had taken steps to improve conditions for unhoused individuals by upgrading the physical surfaces at designated camping locations and expanding overall sheltering capacity. These developments, they argued, warranted a reconsideration of the court’s earlier restrictions.
The joint motion also noted that both sides are actively engaged in ongoing discussions aimed at reaching a final resolution. While a permanent agreement has not yet been reached, the parties stated that additional time—likely several more weeks—would be needed to finalize negotiations. In the meantime, they agreed that the city should be allowed to enforce its ordinances in the seven parks listed in the court filing.
This legal battle unfolds against the backdrop of Oregon House Bill 3115, which requires cities and towns to ensure that rules governing public camping are “objectively reasonable” and do not criminalize homelessness. Grants Pass, like many Oregon cities, has been navigating the challenge of complying with this legislation while addressing community concerns about park access, cleanliness, and safety.
The March 28 injunction had sharply limited the city’s ability to enforce anti-camping ordinances, creating tensions between officials, residents, and advocates for the unhoused. Since then, city leadership has been working to identify solutions that meet both legal requirements and public needs.
The modified order gives the city a measure of temporary relief by allowing enforcement in selected areas, but the broader legal and policy questions remain unresolved. Officials say they are continuing to explore long-term options to ensure compliance with state law while addressing the complex realities of homelessness.
While some residents may view this decision as a necessary step to restore public order in local parks, others are likely to express concern over the potential displacement of individuals who rely on these spaces for nightly rest. The ultimate outcome of the case—and whether a sustainable solution can be reached that balances public use with individual rights—remains to be seen. For now, the city has regained the ability to act in a more limited capacity as legal negotiations continue.