Public Conduct in Fresno, CA (2026)
7 verified public conduct rules for Fresno, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Public Urination
Fresno makes it 'unlawful and a public nuisance to urinate or defecate in public' under FMC Sec. 10-1702(c), which incorporates the citywide 'committing a nuisance' offense defined in Sec. 9-2512 as evacuating the bowels or bladder anywhere not provided for that purpose. Because the urination ban sits inside the Unlawful Camping article, a violation carries the same misdemeanor penalty as illegal camping.
Fresno Public Urination and Defecation Ban
Heavy RestrictionsFresno Municipal Code §§ 9-2512, 10-1702(c)
SEC. 9-2512. - COMMITTING NUISANCE. No person shall commit a nuisance in any public place, or upon any private property, or in any place where there are other persons to be offended or annoyed thereby. The phrase "commit a nuisance" as used in this section shall mean evacuate the bowels or bladder at a place not provided for that purpose. (Orig. Ord. 1076). ... It is unlawful and a public nuisa...
Skateboarding Rules
Fresno Municipal Code § 14-1805 bans roller skating, skateboarding, and any metal-tread-wheel device on streets the city has designated as "mall streets": the pedestrian business corridors around the historic Fulton Mall. The ban runs the full length of each listed mall street, not just a plaza area.
Skateboarding Banned on Fresno's Historic Mall Streets
Significant RestrictionsFresno Municipal Code § 14-1805
No person shall roller skate or ride on skateboards or operate any device having metal tread wheels on any street designated as a mall street, pursuant to the provisions of this Code.
Loud Party Ordinance
Fresno's Social Host Ordinance, Municipal Code Article 30, makes it a misdemeanor to knowingly host or allow a party on private property under your control where anyone under 21 is served or consumes alcohol. A 'party' is any gathering of two or more people who aren't all members of the same household, and each emergency response to the same party is a separate offense.
Fresno Social Host Ordinance Bans Underage Parties
Significant RestrictionsFresno Municipal Code §§ 9-3004(e), 9-3005(a), 9-3008(a)
The term "party or parties," means an assembly of two (2) or more individuals for any purpose, unless all of the individuals attending the assembly are members of the same household or immediate family. ... it is unlawful for any person to: (a)Knowingly permit, allow, or host a party on his or her private property or premises under his or her control where underage person(s) are present and alc...
Loitering Rules
Fresno Municipal Code Sections 9-2501 and 9-2502 make it a misdemeanor to loiter in any public place, or any place visible from the public, in a manner and under circumstances manifesting an intent to solicit prostitution or engage in unlawful drug activity. Officers weigh specific statutory factors -- known-offender history, beckoning, lookout behavior, evasive conduct -- before an arrest holds up under either section.
Fresno Loitering Bans for Prostitution and Drugs
Significant RestrictionsFresno Municipal Code §§ 9-2501(a), (c); 9-2502
It is unlawful for any person to loiter in, or about any public place or place open to public view in a manner and under circumstances manifesting a purpose of engaging in soliciting acts of prostitution. ... (c) Punishment. A violation of this Section is a misdemeanor, punishable upon conviction by imprisonment in the county jail for a term not to exceed six months, or by a fine not to exceed ...
Outdoor Smoking Restrictions
Fresno's smoking ban is written for enclosed spaces, so parks and open patios aren't covered -- except at the city's two airports, where Section 10-1105(m) expressly extends the "public place" smoking prohibition to named open-air zones like terminal sidewalks and curb areas, regardless of whether they're enclosed.
Fresno Airport Outdoor Smoking Ban
Light RestrictionsFresno Municipal Code § 10-1105(m)
(m) Regardless of whether enclosed or not, the following areas of Fresno Yosemite International Airport (FAT) and Fresno Chandler Executive Airport (FCH) are "public places" for the purposes of this Article: all airline terminal roadway pedestrian cross walks, terminal frontage sidewalks, loading and unloading curb area, and areas surrounding all building entrances and exits, as well as all are...
Public Marijuana Use
Fresno's Smoking Pollution Control Ordinance defines "smoking" to include any lighted or heated plant product intended for inhalation, natural or synthetic, and Section 10-1105 bans that smoking in all enclosed public places -- stores, restaurants, restaurants, theaters, health facilities and more -- reaching cannabis smoking as squarely as tobacco.
Fresno Bans Smoking Marijuana in Public Places
Significant RestrictionsFresno Municipal Code §§ 10-1103(l), 10-1105
(l) "Smoking" means inhaling, exhaling, burning, or carrying any lighted or heated cigar, cigarette, or pipe, or any other lighted or heated tobacco or plant product intended for inhalation, whether natural or synthetic, in any manner or in any form. "Smoking" includes the use of an electronic smoking device that creates an aerosol or vapor... Except where specifically permitted pursuant to Sec...
Public Alcohol Use
Fresno Municipal Code Section 9-2503 bars drinking beer, wine or any intoxicating beverage on any street, sidewalk, alley, playground, or parking lot open to the general public. Restaurants with an encroachment permit may serve alcohol in a posted sidewalk seating area during business hours, and the Parks and Recreation Director can authorize drinking at a limited-duration mall-area event.
Fresno Public Drinking Ban on Streets, Parks
Some RestrictionsFresno Municipal Code § 9-2503(a), (c), (f)
(a)No person shall drink any beer, wine or other intoxicating beverage on any street, sidewalk, pedestrian mall, alley, highway, playground, parking lot open to the general public or other lot open to the general public. ... (c)Subsection (a) of this section shall not apply to any person in an encroachment area posted pursuant to subsection (d) of this section during business hours of the permi...
Looking for Fresno County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Fresno city rules.
Public Conduct in Fresno County →