Public Conduct in Denver, CO (2026)
7 verified public conduct rules for Denver, Colorado, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Aggressive Panhandling
Denver's panhandling ordinance bans touching, blocking, threatening gestures, provocative language, and group intimidation while soliciting in public places, plus panhandling on private property after being told to leave and soliciting drivers for a parking space.
Denver Bans Aggressive Panhandling in Public Places
Significant RestrictionsDenver Revised Municipal Code § 38-100
Aggressive panhandling means: a. Intentionally touching or causing physical contact with another person without that person's consent in the course of soliciting; b. Intentionally blocking or interfering with the safe or free passage of a pedestrian or vehicle by any means, including unreasonably causing a pedestrian or vehicle operator to take evasive action to avoid physical contact... It sha...
Public Urination
Denver makes it a Class 2 offense to urinate or defecate in any public way, publicly visible place, or place open to public view, punishable by up to 60 days in jail.
Denver Bans Public Urination and Defecation
Heavy RestrictionsDenver Revised Municipal Code § 38-99
It shall be unlawful for any person to urinate or defecate in any public way or place which is public in nature or any place open to the public view. (Code 1950, § 841.7; Ord. No. 513-17, § 6, 5-22-17) State Law reference— Public indecency, C.R.S. 1973, 18-7-301; indecent exposure, C.R.S. 1973, 18-7-302.
Skateboarding Rules
Denver bars skateboards, roller-skates, coasters, and similar devices from city roadways under Sec. 54-59, except to cross a street or crosswalk, where riders take on a pedestrian's rights and duties. On sidewalks, riders must yield to pedestrians.
Denver Skateboard and Roller-Skate Roadway Ban
Some RestrictionsDenver Revised Municipal Code § 54-59
No person upon roller-skates or riding in or upon or by means of any coaster, skateboard, toy vehicle or similar device shall go upon any roadway, except while crossing a street or crosswalk, and when so crossing, such person shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to pedestrians. This section shall not apply upon any street which has been set asi...
Loud Party Ordinance
Denver bans loud or unusual noises and offensive conduct that disturb others' peace, and it holds a house's owner or occupant liable for permitting the disturbance whenever they had the power to stop it.
Denver Disturbing-the-Peace Rule Covers Loud Parties
Some RestrictionsDenver Revised Municipal Code § 38-89(a)
It shall be unlawful for any person to disturb or tend to disturb the peace of another person or persons by violent, tumultuous, offensive or obstreperous conduct or by loud or unusual noises or by unseemly, profane, obscene or offensive language calculated to provoke a breach of the peace or for any person to permit any such conduct in any house or upon any premises owned or possessed by such ...
Outdoor Smoking Restrictions
Denver allows smoking in most outdoor areas but bans it at open-air theaters, sports stadiums, zoo and botanic garden events, tennis courts, swimming pools, near hospitals, on the 16th Street Mall, and outside hookah retailers overnight.
Denver Outdoor Smoking Ban Covers Theaters, Stadiums, Pools
Some RestrictionsDenver Revised Municipal Code § 24-303
Smoking shall be allowed in outdoor areas except as follows: (a)Within the exterior walls/fences of an open-air theater, smoking is prohibited in open seating areas, food/drink concession areas and related lines leading thereto, restrooms and amphitheater aisles and allowed elsewhere within the facility only in designated smoking areas established by the owner, operator or person in charge;(...
Jaywalking
Denver pedestrians who cross outside a marked or unmarked crosswalk must yield the right-of-way to all vehicles on the roadway, shifting legal responsibility onto the walker.
Denver Mid-Block Jaywalking Rule
Some RestrictionsDenver Revised Municipal Code § 54-540
Every pedestrian crossing the roadway at any point other than within a marked or unmarked crosswalk at an intersection shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway. Any pedestrian crossing a roadway at a point where a pedestrian tunnel or overhead pedestrian crossing has been provided, but not using such facility, shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway.
Public Marijuana Use
Denver prohibits openly and publicly displaying or consuming marijuana in public places, with civil fines starting at $150 and rising to $999 for repeat violations.
Denver Bans Public Marijuana Consumption
Significant RestrictionsDenver Revised Municipal Code § 38-175(b)
It shall be unlawful for any person to openly and publicly display or consume one (1) ounce or less of marijuana.