Long Beach's Public Conduct: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles public conduct a little differently. In Long Beach, California, there are 9 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Loitering Rules

It is unlawful in Long Beach to loiter on or near any street, alley or public or private place for the purpose of drug activity or graffiti. Municipal Code § 9.36.010 defines "loiter" as delaying or lingering "without lawful business," and § 9.36.020 extends the same ban to loitering to commit graffiti.

Key details: Scope: loitering for drug activity or graffiti only. "Loiter" defined: delay/linger without lawful business. Drug-activity reference: Cal. H&S Code Div. 10, Ch. 6 & 6.5. Graffiti-activity reference: Penal Code § 594. Default penalty: up to $1,000 fine / 6 mo. jail (§1.32.010).

A violation of § 9.36.010 or § 9.36.020 is enforced under the citywide general penalty, § 1.32.010: unless prosecuted as an infraction, it is a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 in fines, up to six months in jail, or both, and each day the violation continues counts as a separate offense. A property where loitering for drug or graffiti activity recurs can also be pursued through the Nuisance Code's administrative abatement process under § 9.37.

Public Urination

Long Beach makes it a misdemeanor to urinate or defecate in any public place other than a regularly provided toilet facility. Municipal Code § 9.25.010, the City's stand-alone "Public Excretion" chapter, defines the offense using the code's broad definition of "public place" in § 9.02.090.

Key details: Ordinance: LBMC § 9.25.010, "Public Excretion". Applies to: any "public place" per § 9.02.090. Exception: regularly provided toilet facilities. Charge level: misdemeanor (or infraction, prosecutor's discretion). Max penalty: $1,000 fine and/or 6 months jail (§1.32.010).

A violation of § 9.25.010 is charged as a misdemeanor, carrying up to a $1,000 fine and/or up to six months in jail under the citywide general penalty, § 1.32.010, unless the City Prosecutor elects to charge it as an infraction instead, which caps the fine at $1,000 with no jail exposure. Enforcement is by Long Beach Police Department citation or arrest at the location of the offense.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Long Beach actively enforces its public urination requirements.

Skateboarding Rules

Long Beach bans skateboarding on any street, alley or sidewalk the City Council has designated and signed as a prohibited area under LBMC § 10.54.040, a list that covers dozens of specific downtown, beach and pier locations citywide.

Key details: Governing chapter: LBMC Chapter 10.54 - Skateboards. Method: Signed, Council-designated areas, not citywide ban. Sign duty: Traffic Engineer posts at every entrance. Last amended: ORD-23-0016 § 4 (2023). State authority: Veh. C. § 21967.

Riding a skateboard within a posted prohibited area under § 10.54.030 is charged as a municipal code infraction/misdemeanor enforceable by the Long Beach Police Department; signage must be posted at every entrance to a designated zone before the prohibition is enforceable there under § 10.54.020. Areas without posted signs are not restricted under this chapter.

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

Aggressive Panhandling

Long Beach doesn't ban panhandling outright: it bans coercive panhandling. Municipal Code § 9.35.010 makes it unlawful to solicit by threatening, harassing, intimidating, or aggressively coercing someone on a public street, sidewalk, or place open to the public, defined to include blocking someone's path or persistently following and demanding money after a rejection. Section 9.35.020 separately bans all solicitation, aggressive or not, at specific high-traffic locations.

Key details: Covered locations: streets, sidewalks, places open to public. ATM buffer: 20 feet from sidewalk-adjacent machines. First offense: infraction. Repeat offense (12 months): misdemeanor. Not covered: solicitation on private property.

A first violation of Chapter 9.35 is charged as an infraction; any second violation within twelve months escalates to a misdemeanor, with criminal penalties set under the general penalty provisions of Chapter 1.32 per § 9.35.040. That means repeat offenders face up to a $1,000 fine, up to six months in jail, or both, rather than the flat infraction fine that applies to a first offense.

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

Public Marijuana Use

Public cannabis consumption is illegal across Long Beach under both state law and the city smoke-free ordinance, regardless of medical or adult-use status. Consumption is restricted to private residences.

Key details: State authority: Health and Safety Code 11362.3. City rule: LBMC Chapter 8.68. Consumption lounges: Not permitted in Long Beach. School buffer: 1,000 feet, kids present. Driving DUI: Vehicle Code 23152(f).

Infraction with $100 first-offense fine under state law, plus city citation. Smoking near schools is a misdemeanor with up to $500 in fines and potential probation conditions.

Public Alcohol Use

Long Beach bans drinking in public almost everywhere in the city. Municipal Code § 9.22.010 prohibits transporting in, or drinking, any alcoholic beverage in any public place unless the premises hold an on-sale license under the State Alcoholic Beverage Control Act. A companion rule, § 9.22.070, separately bans any bather from drinking within one marine league, three nautical miles, of a Long Beach beach.

Key details: General rule: no public drinking without on-sale license. Beach rule: no bather drinking within 1 marine league. Exempt venues: 9 named public facilities (§9.22.060). Default penalty: up to $1,000 fine / 6 months jail. Motorboats: exempt from the beach drinking ban.

Because Chapter 9.22 has no penalty section of its own, a violation defaults to the general penalty at § 1.32.010: a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine, up to six months in the City or county jail, or both, at the City Prosecutor's discretion to instead charge it as an infraction. Each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Long Beach actively enforces its public alcohol use requirements.

Outdoor Smoking Restrictions

Long Beach bans smoking in improved City parks, beaches, the beach bike path, bus stops and most outdoor dining areas under LBMC §§ 8.68.065, 8.68.066 and 8.68.090. The Department of Health and Human Services administers the ban, with fines up to $500 for repeat offenses.

Key details: Beach smoking ban: LBMC § 8.68.065: all sand and water areas. Park smoking ban: LBMC § 8.68.066: all improved City parks. Outdoor dining: Banned except after 11:00 p.m. (§ 8.68.090(B)). Bus stop buffer: 20 feet, LBMC § 8.68.075. Administering agency: Long Beach Dept. of Health & Human Services.

Violating any smoking prohibition in Chapter 8.68 is an infraction under § 8.68.200: a fine not exceeding $100 for a first violation, $200 for a second violation within a year, and $500 for a third and each subsequent violation within a year. Employers, businesses and event operators face the same schedule for failing to post required signage or enforce no-smoking areas.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Long Beach actively enforces its outdoor smoking restrictions requirements.

Jaywalking

In Long Beach's Central Traffic District and in any business district, pedestrians must use a marked crosswalk unless crossing at a scramble-signal intersection: crossing mid-block or outside a crosswalk in these areas violates LBMC § 10.58.020.

Key details: Governing section: LBMC § 10.58.020 - Crossing without crosswalk. Where it applies: Central Traffic District and business districts. Exception: Scramble-signal intersections. Related rule: § 10.58.040 bars standing/walking in roadway. Crosswalk removal notice: 30 days' public notice, § 10.58.015.

Crossing outside a crosswalk in the Central Traffic District or a business district under § 10.58.020 is a citable infraction enforced by the Long Beach Police Department. Standing or walking lengthwise in the roadway outside a safety zone or crosswalk under § 10.58.040 is a separate, similarly citable violation, subject to the on-duty public-employee exemption.

Loud Party Ordinance

Long Beach uses a bright-line distance test for loud parties: under Municipal Code § 9.31.010, any party noise audible fifty feet or more from the property is automatically deemed to disrupt the public peace, no decibel meter required. A first police response can end with arrest, citation, or a warning, but Section 9.31.030 makes the "responsible person" pay the City's full cost for every response after that within 30 days.

Key details: Audibility threshold: 50 feet from the property. Warning window: 30 days for repeat-response billing. Underlying penalty: up to $1,000 fine / 6 months jail. Cost recovery: full actual law-enforcement response costs. Liable party: owner, occupant, or activity host.

A first violation is a public offense under the general penalty in Chapter 1.32: up to a $1,000 fine, six months in jail, or both. After a written warning, every additional police response to the same address within 30 days shifts to strict cost recovery: the responsible person or their guardian owes all actual law-enforcement costs of each subsequent response, collectible by the City as a civil debt.

The Bottom Line

Long Beach is tougher than many cities when it comes to public conduct. Out of the 9 rules covered here, 5 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Long Beach, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

All of the above reflects Long Beach's municipal code as of our last review. If you need specifics on fines, exemptions, or filing requirements, the detailed ordinance pages linked above have the full breakdown.