Public Conduct in Hanover County, VA (2026)
3 rules for unincorporated Hanover County, Virginia.
Verified from official government sources
Public Urination
In Hanover County outside the Town of Ashland, it is a class 1 misdemeanor to urinate or defecate on any street, alley, sidewalk, park or public place, or anywhere within public view, unless you use a facility built for that purpose. Sheriff's deputies enforce Section 17-10 of the county code, which carries no exception for emergencies or intoxication.
Hanover County Bans Public Urination
Some RestrictionsHanover County Code § 17-10
(a)It shall be unlawful for any person to urinate or defecate on any street, alley, sidewalk, park or public place or area where the public gathers or has access, or within public view, other than in facilities designed for such purposes.(b)Any person found guilty of this section shall be guilty of a class 1 misdemeanor.
Loitering Rules
Hanover County defines loitering broadly, remaining idle, lingering, or 'hanging around' in one spot, and makes it unlawful when it obstructs a public place. Section 17-5(a) supplies the definition; an officer must order a person to move on before a refusal becomes a class 1 misdemeanor.
Loitering Rules in Hanover County, VA
Some RestrictionsHanover County Code § 17-5(a), (c)
(a)For the purposes of this section, "loitering" shall mean remaining idle in essentially one (1) location and shall include the concept of spending time idly; to be dilatory; to linger; to stay; to saunter; to delay; to stand around; and shall also include the colloquial expression "hanging around." ... (c)When any person causes or commits any of the conditions enumerated in subsection (b) abo...
Public Alcohol Use
Hanover County makes it a class 4 misdemeanor to be intoxicated in public, whether from alcohol, a narcotic drug or any other intoxicant, under section 17-4 of the county code. Officers can instead route a public inebriate to a court-approved detox center in lieu of arrest.
Public Intoxication Rules in Hanover County, VA
Light RestrictionsHanover County Code § 17-4
If any person is intoxicated in public, whether such intoxication results from alcohol, narcotic drug or other intoxicant or drug of whatever nature, he shall be deemed guilty of a class 4 misdemeanor. In any area in which there is located a court-approved detoxification center, a law-enforcement officer may authorize the transportation, by police or otherwise, of public inebriates to such deto...
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