Public Conduct in Fontana, CA

If you live in Fontana or are thinking about moving there, public conduct are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Fontana has 8 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of public conduct, and some of them might surprise you.

Aggressive Panhandling

Fontana bans "aggressively" begging in any public place under the same pedestrian interference statute that governs sidewalk obstruction. The ordinance targets intimidation, not asking for money itself: begging with intent to threaten or frighten a reasonable person is the offense, while ordinary panhandling is not.

Key details: Governing section: Sec. 16-5(a)(1), (3), (b)(2). Offense: Begging with specific intent to intimidate. Applies in: Any "public place" per Sec. 16-5(a)(5). Not covered: Ordinary begging without threat intent. Penalty: Up to $1,000/6 mo. under Sec. 1-7.

Prosecuted under Sec. 1-7's general penalty: a misdemeanor is punishable by up to $1,000.00 in fines and up to six months in county jail, while an infraction caps at $500.00. The city attorney or district attorney selects the charge, and each day of continuing violation is a separate offense.

Loitering Rules

Fontana bans lingering, loitering, sitting, or standing on commercial or private property against the owner's expressed wishes. Sec. 16-11 doesn't create a general public loitering offense; it targets people who ignore a property owner, tenant, or manager's request to leave open or parking areas.

Key details: Governing section: Sec. 16-11. Scope: Commercial or private property only. Trigger: Violates owner/tenant/manager's expressed wish. Related sections: Sec. 16-9, 16-10 (trespass after notice). Penalty: Up to $1,000/6 mo. under Sec. 1-7.

Sec. 1-7 applies: a misdemeanor charge carries up to $1,000.00 in fines and up to six months in jail; an infraction is capped at $500.00. Prosecutorial discretion determines the charge, and each day the violation continues is treated as a separate offense.

Loud Party Ordinance

Fontana declares a loud or unruly gathering that substantially disturbs the peace, through noise, fights, vandalism, or crowds spilling into the street, a public nuisance. Hosts and property owners face escalating civil fines and joint liability if police respond to the same address again within 90 days.

Key details: Governing section: Sec. 16-19(e)-(j). Trigger: Gathering causing a "substantial disturbance". Notice period: Posted/mailed notice stays active 90 days. Repeat response: Joint/several civil liability within 90 days. Charge: Infraction or misdemeanor, officer's discretion.

Sec. 16-19(j) allows charging as an infraction or misdemeanor at the officer's or prosecutor's discretion, plus city council-set civil penalties due within ten calendar days, with late charges and interest for unpaid fines and repeat-violation fine increases; unpaid amounts can become a lien on the property.

This is one of the stricter rules in Fontana's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Public Alcohol Use

Drinking alcohol on Fontana streets, sidewalks, parks, or in a city-owned building is an infraction, and so is carrying an opened container in those places. Off-sale liquor stores must post signs warning customers, and the city can approve temporary permits allowing drinking in designated areas.

Key details: Governing section: Sec. 16-17. Prohibited: Drinking or open container in streets, parks, city buildings. Signage duty: Off-sale liquor stores must post warning signs. Permit exception: Council/manager-approved events up to 7 days. Penalty: Infraction, up to $500 under Sec. 1-7.

Sec. 16-17(h) makes any violation, by a drinker or by a licensee who fails to post required signage under (d)(1)-(2), an infraction. Under the citywide infraction schedule at Sec. 1-7, that carries a fine of up to $500.00.

Public Urination

Fontana bans urinating, defecating, or dumping fecal matter anywhere exposed to public view, on public or private property alike, unless it's in a restroom or facility built for that purpose. It's a misdemeanor under the city's 2025 camping-article rewrite, punishable by up to $1,000 and six months in jail.

Key details: Governing section: Sec. 16-163. Prohibited: Urinating, defecating, or dumping fecal matter. Where it applies: Public or private property visible to the public. Exception: Restroom or facility built for the purpose. Penalty: Misdemeanor, up to $1,000/6 mo., Sec. 16-164.

Sec. 16-164(a) makes any violation of this article, including Sec. 16-163, unlawful, a public nuisance, and a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000.00 and imprisonment of up to six months. Sec. 16-164(b) treats each day of a continuing violation as a separate, separately punishable offense.

Skateboarding Rules

Fontana bans skateboards and roller skates from sidewalks in business districts and bars them from business-district streets entirely under Municipal Code Sec. 17-4. Riding is prohibited from sunset to sunrise, limited to one rider per device, and ramps, jumps or acrobatics off the pavement require a city permit. A first offense draws up to a $100 fine and 30-day impoundment.

Key details: Sidewalk ban: No skateboards on business-district sidewalks. Street ban: No skateboarding on business-district streets. Hours: Prohibited sunset to sunrise. Riders: One person per device at a time. Ramps/jumps: Require a city permit.

A first violation is an infraction punishable by up to a $100 fine, impoundment of the device by the police department for up to 30 days, or both. A second violation within one year raises the fine to up to $200, and a third or later violation within one year to up to $500, with impoundment for up to 90 days for repeat offenses.

Jaywalking

Fontana requires pedestrians to use a marked crosswalk when crossing a roadway in a business district under Municipal Code Sec. 17-227. Outside business districts, crossing anywhere other than at right angles to the curb or the shortest route to the opposite curb is also unlawful unless a marked crosswalk is used. Violations are misdemeanors under Sec. 17-2.

Key details: Business districts: Must cross at a marked crosswalk. Elsewhere: Right angle or shortest route to curb. Mid-block crosswalks: Only in blocks 1,000+ feet long. Standing in road: Barred outside safety zone/crosswalk. Penalty: Misdemeanor under Sec. 17-2.

Sec. 17-2 sets the default penalty for Chapter 17: except where otherwise stated, any violation of the chapter, including the crosswalk requirement in Sec. 17-227, is a misdemeanor punishable as provided in Sec. 1-7 of the Fontana Municipal Code.

Public Marijuana Use

Smoking, including cannabis, is prohibited and unlawful in every city-owned and operated park in Fontana under Sec. 13-64, and Sec. 13-65 extends the ban to enclosed public places like stores, restaurants and offices. Sec. 33-4 of the cannabis chapter confirms these prohibitions still apply to cannabis smoking.

Key details: Governing law: Fontana Municipal Code Sec. 13-64, 13-65, 33-4. Parks: Smoking, incl. e-devices, prohibited citywide. Enclosed public places: Stores, restaurants, offices, transit, libraries. Penalty: Infraction, up to $500 fine, Sec. 1-7. Enforcement: City manager's designee; public nuisance abatement.

Smoking in an area where it is prohibited under this article is unlawful per Sec. 13-59(b), and any violation is an infraction punishable under Sec. 1-7, which caps infraction fines at $500.00; the violation also constitutes a public nuisance under Sec. 13-58 that the city or any affected resident can seek to abate through a restraining order or injunction.

This is one of the stricter rules in Fontana's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

The Bottom Line

Fontana is tougher than many cities when it comes to public conduct. Out of the 8 rules covered here, 2 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Fontana, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

Keep in mind that Fontana can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.