West University Place officials voted April 27 to update the city’s civility ordinance to prohibit placing personal items, sitting or lying down on a public sidewalk within city limits.
What this means
Some exceptions to the rule include:
Medical emergenciesPermit has been issuedResidents attending an eventPlacement of personal items while waiting to board at a bus stopThe item passed unanimously and will go into effect immediately.
Something to note
Some residents brought up concerns earlier in the year about encountering homeless individuals sleeping in public spaces. The concern sparked a conversation among City Council members and ultimately led the council to tighten up the language in the civility ordinance.
West University’s decision follows both Bellaire and Houston, which passed similar ordinances in 2025.
By Ariel Worthy
Ariel Worthy is the City Government Reporter covering Houston’s Inner Loop. She previously served as a digital editor at Houston Public Media. From 2018 to 2022, she was a government and accountability reporter at WESA, Pittsburgh’s NPR station, where she covered the city of Pittsburgh. She began her journalism career at her hometown newspaper, the Birmingham Times, in Birmingham, Alabama. She is a graduate of the University of Alabama (Roll Tide!).