Encampment and trespass response for businesses and property owners across Southern California.
When encampments, break ins, and repeat trespass hit your property and the city is slow to respond, we keep your property secure and work the system for you: documented violations, reports filed with the right agencies, and follow up until something gets done.
Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura, and San Diego counties.
What we do
We work through official channels, the same way any property owner's agent would, and we do it consistently until the problem is handled.
Secure your property
Uniformed patrol or posted officers who ask trespassers to leave, keep entrances and lots clear, and stop new encampments from forming on your property.
Coordinate with police
One point of contact who files trespass reports correctly, gives responding officers a clear account, and keeps a record of every report number.
Report code violations
Sidewalk obstructions that block ADA access, driveways, or building entrances, illegal dumping, and blocked fire hydrants, reported to the right city or county agency with photos and dates.
Push cleanups forward
We file public property cleanup requests through each city's official channel, such as MyLA311 in the City of Los Angeles, or with the county in unincorporated areas, and follow up on each request.
Trespass letters
We help you prepare and file a 602 letter so police can enforce trespass on your property without you being there each time.
A record you can use
Dated photo logs, report numbers, and a recap each service period, ready for your landlord, insurer, council office, or attorney.
The rules, in plain terms
- Every city sets its own rules. Sidewalk, camping, and dumping rules and the agencies that enforce them differ from city to city across Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura, and San Diego counties. We file with the right one for your address. The City of Los Angeles is the most common example:
- LA Municipal Code 41.18 prohibits sitting, lying, sleeping, or storing property in ways that block ADA access on a sidewalk, or within 10 feet of a driveway or loading dock or 5 feet of a building entrance, among other locations. Some zones, such as near parks and libraries, apply only where the City Council has designated them and posted signs.
- Public property belongs to the city or county. In the City of LA, encampment cleanups on public property are run by LA Sanitation through its CARE and CARE+ program. In unincorporated LA County, reports go through the County's DPW WORKS app. Other cities and counties run their own programs.
- Your property is yours to protect. Under Penal Code 602(o), an owner can authorize police to enforce trespass for up to 12 months on property that is closed to the public and posted. The request must be notarized and filed on the police agency's form.
- Security officers are not police. Licensed guards have the same arrest power as any private person under Penal Code 837. We use presence, documentation, and police coordination, not force.
- Cities can enforce camping rules. In 2024 the U.S. Supreme Court held in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson that enforcing camping bans on public property is not cruel and unusual punishment.
Who we help
In every county we serve.
- Storefronts, restaurants, and shopping centers
- Warehouses, yards, and industrial sites
- Apartment buildings and HOAs
- Vacant buildings and lots
- Construction and rebuild sites
- Churches, schools, and medical offices
“I was having issues with break ins and multiple encampments outside my business. The city of LA was not doing anything about it. I decided to hire Blackout Security Services and they were able to get the job done!”
Questions we get
Can your officers remove people from the sidewalk in front of my business?
No. Private security has no authority over public sidewalks or streets. Only the city and police can act there. What we do is document every violation, report it to the right agency, and follow up until it is handled, while we keep your own property clear.
What can your officers do on my property?
With your authorization, our officers ask trespassers to leave, document refusals, and call police when someone will not leave. Licensed guards are not peace officers. They have the same arrest power as any private person under Penal Code 837, so we rely on documentation and police response rather than force.
What is a 602 letter and do I need one?
It is a written request, under Penal Code 602(o), that lets police enforce trespass on your property without you being there each time. For property closed to the public and posted, it can last up to 12 months. It must be notarized and submitted on the police agency's form. We help you prepare and file it.
Who cleans up an encampment?
It depends on the city or county. On public property in the City of Los Angeles, LA Sanitation runs cleanups through its CARE and CARE+ program, requested through MyLA311. In unincorporated LA County, reports go through the County's DPW WORKS app. Other cities and counties have their own request lines, and we use the right one for your address. On your own private property, cleanup is the owner's responsibility, and we can coordinate it with a qualified contractor.
Which areas do you cover?
Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura, and San Diego counties, with the most requests in Los Angeles and Orange County.
How fast will the city act?
We cannot promise a city timeline. We can promise that every report is filed correctly, tracked by request number, and followed up, and that you get a dated record of every step.
Sources
- LA Municipal Code 41.18
- MyLA311 service requests
- LA Sanitation CARE and CARE+
- LA County encampment reporting
- LA County Public Works hotlines
- California Penal Code 602
- California Penal Code 837
- BSIS Power to Arrest manual
- City of Grants Pass v. Johnson (2024)
General information, not legal advice. Rules differ by city. Confirm the requirements for your property.
Tired of waiting on the city?
Tell us what is happening at your property. Kevin will send a written plan, usually the same day.