Apple Valley, CA Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Sit-Lie Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Section
- § 11.20.040
- Prohibited
- Sitting, lying, sleeping on public ways
- Exceptions
- Disability, parade viewing, bench, officer direction
- Applies
- Town-wide, any hour
- Default penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine / 6 months
Summary
Apple Valley Municipal Code § 11.20.040 makes it unlawful to sit, lie or sleep on any highway, alley, sidewalk, crosswalk or other public way in the Town. Four narrow exceptions cover physical disability, watching a parade, sitting on an installed bench, or acting under a peace officer's direction.
No person shall sit, lie or sleep in or upon any highway, alley, sidewalk or crosswalk or other public way within the Town. The provisions of this Section do not prohibit sitting upon a public highway, alley, sidewalk, or crosswalk or other public way open for pedestrian travel if: (A) Necessitated by the physical disability of such person; or (B) Viewing a legally conducted parade; or (C) On a bench lawfully installed for such purposes; or (D) So authorized or directed by a peace officer or a public safety officer.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 19 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
020 confirms is not meant to duplicate any parallel state offense. The sit-lie rule reaches every public way in Apple Valley, not just downtown or a designated zone, and it applies at any hour rather than being tied to nighttime like the Town's curfew chapters. 085 separately bans harassing or menacing solicitation on the same streets and sidewalks. 085, form Apple Valley's core public-space conduct package. 040 itself dates to the chapter's original 1989 adoption under Ordinance 16 and has not been narrowed since. Because the section sets out only the four listed exceptions and states no penalty of its own, an officer enforcing it must rely on the Town's general Code penalty provision rather than a chapter-specific fine schedule, and enforcement in practice falls to Code Enforcement and the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, which contracts to provide Apple Valley's police services.
Violations & Fines
A sit-lie violation carries no penalty written into § 11.20.040 itself, so the Town's default Code penalty at § 1.01.230 applies: a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000 plus court costs, up to six months in county jail, or both. Section 1.01.220 lets the Town Attorney or the citing officer reduce the charge to an infraction instead, with escalating fines of $100, $200 and $500 for repeat convictions within a year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone sit on a bus bench in Apple Valley?
Is sleeping on a sidewalk illegal Town-wide?
What if someone has a disability that requires sitting?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Apple Valley
California rules heatmap·Compare Apple Valley to another location·View the California homelessness & encampment rules overview
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Sit-Lie Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle sit-lie rules.