El Monte, CA Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Sit-Lie Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies to
- Street/highway center medians only
- Exception
- Brief pedestrian crossing allowed
- Origin
- Carried from prior code § 4235.1
- Chapter
- 9.04 Offenses Against Public Peace
- Enforcement
- El Monte Police Department
Summary
El Monte's public-peace code makes it unlawful to stand, sit or otherwise occupy a street or highway center median for anything other than briefly crossing the roadway as a pedestrian. The rule targets medians specifically rather than general sidewalks, and traces to the city's pre-2000 code numbering.
No person shall stand or sit upon or otherwise occupy a public street or highway center median for any purpose other than to do so temporarily as a pedestrian while making a lawful pedestrian crossing of a public street or highway from one side of the roadway to the other side of the roadway in which the center median is located. For purposes of this section, the term "center median" means and refers to that portion or a public street or highway, which is marked or identified by painted line or painted area of which is raised from the roadway and which separates the vehicle traffic lanes of the roadway which move in opposite directions of travel.
Full Breakdown
04 (Offenses Against Public Peace and Decency), bars any person from standing, sitting or occupying a public street or highway center median except temporarily as a pedestrian making a lawful crossing from one side of the roadway to the other. The section defines 'center median' as the portion of a street or highway marked by a painted line or raised area that separates traffic moving in opposite directions. Unlike a general sit-lie sidewalk ordinance found in some other California cities, El Monte's provision is narrowly confined to street and highway medians, the areas most associated with roadside panhandling and pedestrian-vehicle safety conflicts at major intersections.
48. 1, indicating it predates the 2000 recodification and has been retained largely unchanged since. 040), enforcement is handled by the El Monte Police Department as a general public-order matter rather than through a specialized homelessness unit.
Violations & Fines
The El Monte Municipal Code's general penalty provision, Section 1.24.010, classifies most code violations not otherwise designated as misdemeanors punishable by up to $1,000 in fines and up to six months in jail, with each day of a continuing violation treated as a separate offense; Section 9.04.010 does not carry its own specific penalty clause, so this default classification governs enforcement of the median-sitting rule.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sit on a street median while waiting to cross in El Monte?
Does El Monte have a citywide sidewalk sit-lie ban?
What counts as a 'center median' under this rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in El Monte
California rules heatmap·Compare El Monte to another location·View the California homelessness & encampment rules overview
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How other cities in Los Angeles County handle sit-lie rules.