Peoria, IL Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Sit-Lie Rules (2026)

Section 20-96, "Obstructing the public way," prohibits any person from standing, sitting, lying, walking or acting in any other manner, alone or with others, to obstruct a public street, highway, sidewalk or other public place or building by hindering or impeding vehicular or pedestrian traffic, or to interfere with the free use of property or any lawfully conducted business fronting the public way. The ordinance is not a blanket sit-lie ban triggered by mere presence: subsection (b) requires a police officer to first order the person to cease and desist once the obstruction is observed.

Only a failure or refusal to obey that order converts the conduct into a violation under subsection (c), punishable by a fine as set under Sec. 1-5 of the Code for each offense. 1, and was amended by Ord. No. 15235 (2001) and Ord. No. 16102 (2007), sitting in Article IV, Offenses Against Public Peace and Safety, alongside picketing regulation in Sec. 20-97, which similarly protects at least half the sidewalk width for pedestrian passage in business districts. Because enforcement hinges on an officer's cease-and-desist order rather than automatic citation, Peoria police retain discretion over when obstruction on sidewalks near downtown storefronts or transit stops crosses into a chargeable offense.