Merced, CA Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Sit-Lie Rules (2026)

52, Conduct on Public Property, prohibits sitting or lying down on a public sidewalk, curb, or on a blanket, chair, stool, or other object placed on a sidewalk, but the prohibition applies only in commercially zoned districts and only takes effect after a law enforcement officer has notified the person that they are in violation. A first-time sitter is not cited outright; an officer must warn them first, and continuing after that warning is what triggers enforcement. 040, which extends the same officer-warning structure to walking, standing, sitting, or lying on monuments, fountains, planters, medians, benches, and similarly designed public fixtures.

030 carves out exceptions that apply to both the sidewalk and public-property rules: people attending a permitted parade or festival, sitting on provided public benches or seating, acting under a permit or the private property owner's written consent, sitting or lying due to a medical emergency, or using a wheelchair or similar device because of a disability. 050 separately bans public urination and defecation outside an enclosed restroom, rounding out the chapter's public-conduct standards.