Columbus, OH · Issue Report

Encampments in Columbus

The read computed from 1,050 reports · JAN 2025 – JUN 2026

Columbus logged about 1,100 encampment reports in the last 18 months. That is about one of every 60 complaints filed with code enforcement. These reports describe places and conditions, not people. Encampment reports peak in July at about one and a half times the volume of a typical month. Reports come in at the highest rates in Franklinton and South Side (core). Addresses with encampment reports are about three times as likely to also have vacant building and sewage reports on file.

1 in 60
share of all reports
1,050 reports on file
Steady
2026 vs same months 2025
+9% so far this year
July
peak reporting month
about 1.5× a typical month
The process

What happens when you report

Encampment reports in Columbus route to outreach as well as enforcement. Reporting a location starts a process that usually involves notice, offers of services, and then cleanup.

Report the location to 311 as precisely as you can. Many of these sites are behind buildings, along railroad tracks, or in wooded strips without a street address.

Context

Living or working nearby?

The most reported sites are chronic. One location in this data has been reported twenty times. Cleanups without services tend to move a camp rather than end it, which is why the outreach step exists.

For trash or biohazards left after a site clears, file a separate 311 report for the cleanup itself.

When it gets reported

Share of the year's reports landing in each month, corrected for how many times each month appears in the data window.
January · 5% of the year's reportsJFebruary · 5% of the year's reportsFMarch · 12% of the year's reportsMApril · 11% of the year's reportsAMay · 9% of the year's reportsMJune · 11% of the year's reportsJJuly · 13% of the year's reportsJAugust · 7% of the year's reportsASeptember · 9% of the year's reportsSOctober · 9% of the year's reportsONovember · 6% of the year's reportsNDecember · 4% of the year's reportsD

Reports peak in July at about one and a half times the volume of a typical month. The quietest month is December. A quiet autumn does not mean the problem went away. Reporting drops citywide in cold months.

All encampment reports by month latest month: 73
73 JAN '25 JUN '26

Where it's most reported

Rates compare each neighborhood's share of reports against the citywide share. This page describes where reports come from and skips ranked lists on purpose.

Reports come in at the highest rates in Franklinton and South Side (core).

For contrast, rates run lowest in Berwick among the busiest areas.

Low Moderate Severe Critical
Open the live map filtered to encampments →
Each dot is one report, colored by severity. The live map adds search, filters, and the Block Report.

Often reported with

What else shows up at the same addresses. Address-level comparison, so this reads as a building-quality signal, not a coincidence of one phone call.
Drug activityAddresses with encampment reports are about 14 times as likely to also have drug activity reports on file.
Vacant & abandoned buildingsAddresses with encampment reports are about four times as likely to also have vacant building reports on file.→ Sewage backupsAddresses with encampment reports are about three times as likely to also have sewage reports on file.→ GraffitiAddresses with encampment reports are about twice as likely to also have graffiti reports on file.→

What people describe

The words that come up most in these reports, from the complaint narratives. Counts are reports mentioning each phrase.
homeless people312 homeless camp280 homeless encampment123 people living92 tents99 trash386 behind174 tracks74

Common questions

How do I report encampments in Columbus?

Call 311 with the most precise location you can give, including landmarks if there is no address. The report routes to outreach as well as enforcement. Emergencies and safety threats are 911 matters, not 311.

Are encampment reports in Columbus going up?

They are steady. So far this year Columbus has logged about the same number of encampment reports as the same months last year.

Where are encampment reports most common in Columbus?

Rates run highest in Franklinton, South Side (core) and Blacklick / Brice, comparing each neighborhood's share of reports against the citywide share. No neighborhood is entirely without them.

Looking at a specific address?

Get the full Block Report, covering what's been reported at that exact address, the same building, and chronic neighbors within a third of a mile.

Search an address →
Source & method

What counts here. Reports that describe encampments or people living in vehicles. These are reports about places and conditions, filed with code enforcement, and this page describes those reports, not the people in them.

Data comes from official City of Columbus code enforcement records (Accela portal + ArcGIS REST API). Reports are categorized by keyword matching on complaint narratives and city record types, so counts are reports filed, not verified conditions, and automated matching can misfile individual records. The data window covers JAN 2025 – JUN 2026, so month-of-year patterns will sharpen as full years accrue.