Monterey Park, CA Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Sit-Lie Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 9.69.010
- Prohibits
- Sitting or lying in any roadway
- Exemption
- On-duty public officers/utility employees
- Default penalty
- Misdemeanor, up to $1,000 or 6 months (§4.10.020)
- Enforcement
- Monterey Park Police Department
- Source
- Prior Code § 3249
Summary
In the City of Monterey Park it is unlawful to sit or lie in any roadway under Municipal Code Section 9.69.010, a rule tracing to the city's 1972 prior code. The ban covers the paved travel portion of a street, exempts on-duty public officers, employees, and utility workers, and defaults to the code's general misdemeanor penalty since Chapter 9.69 sets no fine of its own.
No person shall stand in any roadway other than in a safety zone or in a crosswalk if such action interferes with the lawful movement of traffic. No person shall sit or lie in any roadway. This section shall not apply to any public officer or employee, or employee of a public utility when necessarily upon a street in line of duty.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 9.69 ROADWAY USE traces to Prior Code Section 3249 and covers two acts on the paved portion of a city street: standing outside a safety zone or crosswalk when it blocks traffic, and sitting or lying in the roadway outright. Section 9.69.010 draws no zone or time-of-day exception; the only carve-out is for a public officer, public employee, or public utility employee who must be in the street in the line of duty. The companion section, 9.69.020, separately bars selling newspapers or other printed matter from a position in the roadway, showing the chapter targets any person occupying the traveled way.
Chapter 9.69 sets no fine of its own, so the citywide default in Chapter 4.10 GENERAL PENALTIES controls: Section 4.10.010 makes every code violation a misdemeanor unless another section says otherwise, and Section 4.10.030's list of infraction-designated chapters, covering parking violations, animal control under Chapter 8.03, public urination under Chapter 9.64, and residential zoning standards, does not include Chapter 9.69. That leaves a roadway sit-lie violation as a misdemeanor punishable under Section 4.10.020 by a fine up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both, with Section 4.10.010(b) treating a continuing violation as a new offense each day.
The Monterey Park Police Department enforces the chapter, and its officers carry citation and arrest authority for code violations under Section 4.10.050 and Penal Code Section 836.5. Because the ban is written to the roadway, it does not by its terms reach a person sitting on the adjoining sidewalk or parkway.
Violations & Fines
A roadway sit-lie violation is prosecuted as a misdemeanor under the code's general penalty, Section 4.10.020, since Chapter 9.69 lists no fine of its own: up to a $1,000 fine, up to six months in jail, or both. Section 4.10.010(b) makes a continuing violation a new offense each day, and Monterey Park police officers hold citation and arrest authority under Section 4.10.050 and Penal Code Section 836.5.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the roadway ban also cover sidewalks?
What is the penalty for violating the roadway sit-lie rule?
Are city employees exempt from this rule?
Who enforces this ordinance in Monterey Park?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Monterey Park
California rules heatmap·Compare Monterey Park to another location·View the California homelessness & encampment rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Sit-Lie Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle sit-lie rules.