Would you like it if there were people illegally living on your land, like a massive homeless encampment just appeared on your land overnight, which you can’t just remove all by yourself and seek legal help for it? Well, that is just what happened with a Bellingham, Washington, private property owner, and now she is in a legal battle with the city itself. Yes, this whole thing has now turned into this Bellingham Property Owner Encampment Lawsuit, so for now, let’s just get to some important details here.
What’s the Deal with This Encampment?
This group consisted of hundreds of tents. It became one of the major encampments of the area because it was located behind a Walmart store. From 2021 through 2023, the encampment housed about 150 people at its height. The police were called to the property 45 times; meanwhile, sadly, three people died from drug overdoses on-site.
The property was outright left in terrible condition. Court documents estimated later on between 1,000 and 2,000 tons of garbage and hazardous waste. To give you an idea, that much trash could cover a football field or two.
Why Did the City Sue the Owner?
The City of Bellingham issued a November lawsuit against Li-Ching Fang, the property owner. The argument was simple: the encampment had become a public nuisance, and the land had to be cleaned.
In a petition, the City asked that it be granted permission by the Court to enter upon the land, remove the wastes, and charge the clean-up costs to the owner. They further requested that the City be given the right to undertake further works, including the construction of temporary access roads, soil testing, and repairs to wetlands or streams. These comments made it very clear that the clean-up was going to be long and costly, and it was going to be the responsibility of the property owner.
What Happened in Court?
By September 2024, the court had ruled in the city’s favor, and cleanup operations were allowed to begin. Later on, in August 2025, Fang joined the online hearing with an interpreter translating into Mandarin. She acknowledged there was an encampment, but maintained she never stopped people from accessing the encampment, even after repairing fences and hiring contractors.
Her defense was that responsibility should be shared by the city, since they should have prevented the trespass to begin with. The judge ruled, however, that while Fang was not really at fault, the city was under no legal obligation to clean up after her.
How Much Money Are We Talking About?
This order for payment was important for the finances. In August 2025, the court decreed that Fang must pay $126,743.59 toward the city’s initial cleanup costs. The price covered the dumping of 17–18 tons of refuse, installing and repairing fencing, mulching, and patrol costs.
And that was just the opening act. Fang had not paid a single cent by September 2025. Further, the courts held that she shall be on the hook for all future costs of the cleanup, which could amount to as much as $6 million. The city might continue to return to the court if there are further costs to claim as the cleanup goes on.
What’s the City Doing to Clean Up?
This urban cleaning facility has already completed the first cleaning phase, consisting of waste removal, the erection of fences, and the limitation of pre-access to the property. It comes with a $125,000 estimate or more for Phase Two, which begins sometime late in 2025, and involves clearing some additional vegetation and putting a fence in.
At each cleanup, outreach teams do one last status check to warn any people still living in the sites about the cleanup; once belongings are tagged, services are offered, and people are encouraged to relocate before cleanup begins.