San Leandro, CA Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Sit-Lie Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- SLMC §§ 6-3-200 to 6-3-220
- Restricted hours
- 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
- Scope
- Commercial/retail zone sidewalks only
- Prerequisite
- Officer warning required before citation
- Exceptions
- Medical emergency, disability device, permit, bus stop
Summary
SLMC §§ 6-3-200 to 6-3-220 bar sitting or lying on a public sidewalk in a commercial or retail zone between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. after an officer's warning, with exceptions for medical emergencies, disability, permitted street uses and bus stops.
§ 6-3-200. PURPOSE-DEFINITION. The purpose of this Article is to facilitate the safe and efficient movement of pedestrians and goods on the public sidewalks and in retail and commercial areas of the City...§ 6-3-210. PROHIBITION. No person, after having been notified by a law enforcement officer that he or she is in violation of the prohibition of this section, shall sit or lie down upon a public sidewalk, or upon a blanket, chair, stool, or any other object placed upon a public sidewalk in a commercial or retail zone, during the hours between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. § 6-3-220. EXCEPTIONS. The prohibition in Section 6-3-210 shall not apply to any person: (a) Sitting or lying down on a public sidewalk due to a medical emergency; (b) Who, as the result of a disability, utilizes a wheelchair, walker, or similar devices to move about the public sidewalk; (c) Operating or patronizing a commercial establishment conducted on the public sidewalk pursuant to a street use permit...; or (d) Sitting on a public sidewalk within a bus stop zone while waiting for public or private transportation.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4967405; v8 updated 2026-07-06).
Full Breakdown
Adopted by Ordinance No. 97-014 in 1997, San Leandro's sit-lie law is written narrowly around commercial corridors, not the whole city. Section 6-3-200 states the purpose is to keep pedestrians and goods moving safely on public sidewalks in retail and commercial areas, defining public sidewalk broadly to include the right-of-way used for pedestrian travel and for access to businesses and public parking. , but only after a law enforcement officer has first notified that person they are in violation. That notice requirement means the ordinance is not a strict-liability ban; officers must warn before citing.
Section 6-3-220 then carves out four exceptions that shield people who most need sidewalk access: a medical emergency, use of a wheelchair, walker or similar mobility device due to disability, operating or patronizing a business or event conducted on the sidewalk under a valid street use or other permit, and waiting for transit within a bus stop zone. window, or outside commercial and retail zones, or before any officer warning has been given, the conduct the ordinance targets is not a violation.
Violations & Fines
Sitting or lying in violation of § 6-3-210 after an officer's notice is enforced as a Municipal Code infraction under § 1-12-200(c): up to a $100 fine for a first violation, up to $200 for a second violation of the same section within a year, and a third violation within 12 months can be charged as a misdemeanor carrying up to a $1,000 fine or six months in County Jail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can San Leandro police cite someone for sitting on any sidewalk?
Is a person using a wheelchair exempt from the sit-lie rule?
Can a street vendor sit on the sidewalk while running a permitted stand?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Leandro
California rules heatmap·Compare San Leandro to another location·View the California homelessness & encampment rules overview
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Sit-Lie Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Alameda County handle sit-lie rules.