Public Conduct in San Luis Obispo County, CA (2026)
6 rules for unincorporated San Luis Obispo County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Public Urination
San Luis Obispo County Code Sec. 11.04.030(f) makes it unlawful for anyone over age ten to urinate or defecate into park waters, in public view within a park, or in any public place other than a restroom toilet or urinal, punishable as a misdemeanor carrying up to six months in jail.
San Luis Obispo County Public Urination Ban
Significant RestrictionsSan Luis Obispo County Code Sec. 11.04.030(f)
11.04.030 - General use.(f)Urinate or Defecate in Public. It is unlawful for any person over the age of ten years to intentionally urinate, defecate, or otherwise discard or dispose of human waste or excretion into any water within a county park or facility (including a swimming pool), in an area within a county park or facility that is within the public view, or in any public place other than ...
Loud Party Ordinance
San Luis Obispo County bans loud, amplified noise from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. and puts hosts on notice: a repeat violation makes the property owner liable for a year.
SLO County Loud Party Noise Ban
Significant RestrictionsSan Luis Obispo County Code §§ 7.18.010, 7.18.030
It shall be unlawful ... to make ... any loud and unreasonable noise ... between the hours of ten p.m. ... and seven a.m. ... a loud and unreasonable sound shall include any sound ... which is clearly discernable at a distance of one hundred feet from the property line of the property upon which it is broadcast. ... The property owner shall thereafter be severally liable for any further violati...
Loitering Rules
In the towns of Avila and Cayucos, San Luis Obispo County bans loitering that annoys pedestrians or blocks free passage on public sidewalks and ways, and separately bans loitering or standing at the entrance of any church, hall, business or public assembly place. The ban does not extend county-wide.
SLO County Bans Loitering in Avila and Cayucos
Some RestrictionsSan Luis Obispo County Code § 7.20.020
No person shall loiter or stand in any public highway, alley, sidewalk, or crosswalk or other public way open for pedestrian travel or otherwise occupy any portion thereof within any area listed in Section 7.20.010, in such a manner as unreasonably to annoy or molest any pedestrian thereon or as unreasonably to obstruct or interfere with the free passage of pedestrians.
Outdoor Smoking Restrictions
Section 8.22.030 of the County Code bans smoking of tobacco, cannabis and e-cigarettes across the unincorporated county's public places: county property, parks and other recreational areas, streets, sidewalks, restaurants and bars, and within 20 feet of open-air dining or any public building's entrance, exit or air intake.
SLO County Smoking Ban: Parks, Patios, Public Places
Heavy RestrictionsSan Luis Obispo County Code § 8.22.030
In addition to all places where smoking is prohibited under California or federal law, smoking shall be prohibited in the following places within the unincorporated areas of the county: (1)County property.(2)All recreational areas, which includes any public or private area open to the general public for recreational purposes whether or not any fee or admission is charged, including without limi...
Public Marijuana Use
San Luis Obispo County bans smoking or vaping marijuana anywhere the public gathers, from sidewalks and parks to bars and bus stops.
Smoking Marijuana Banned in Public, SLO County
Heavy RestrictionsSan Luis Obispo County Code §§ 8.22.020, 8.22.030
"Smoking" means inhaling, exhaling, burning or carrying any lighted, heated, or ignited cigar, cigarette, cigarillo, pipe, hookah, electronic smoking device, or any other device that delivers nicotine, marijuana, or other substances to a person... smoking shall be prohibited in the following places within the unincorporated areas of the county: ...(3)All public places, including any public or p...
Public Alcohol Use
San Luis Obispo County bans drinking any alcoholic beverage, including wine or beer, on any street, sidewalk, alley or highway in the town of Avila Beach. County-wide, separately, public intoxication on any street, park or public place is also unlawful under Chapter 7.16.
SLO County Open-Container Ban in Avila Beach
Some RestrictionsSan Luis Obispo County Code § 7.16.020
It is unlawful for any person to drink or otherwise consume any alcoholic beverage, including wine or beer, on any street, sidewalk, alley or highway in the town of Avila Beach, County of San Luis Obispo, State of California (also known as the town of Avila). This section shall not be deemed to make punishable any act or acts which are prohibited by any law of the State of California.
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