Santee, CA Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Sit-Lie Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- SMC § 7.20.040
- Hours covered
- 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
- Zones covered
- GC, NC, office/professional, town center
- Exceptions
- Medical, disability, permits, benches, bus stops
- Citation rule
- Officer notice required first, § 7.20.040(C)
- Classification
- Public nuisance, § 7.20.160
Summary
Santee bars sitting or lying on public sidewalks in its commercial districts under Santee Municipal Code § 7.20.040. Between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., no one may sit or lie on a sidewalk, or on a blanket, stool or other object placed there, in the general commercial, neighborhood commercial, office/professional or town center commercial and civic zones, subject to medical, disability, permit, bench and bus-stop exceptions.
A. No person is permitted to sit or lie down on a public sidewalk, or upon a blanket, stool, or any other object placed on a public sidewalk, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. in the following areas: 1. General commercial district. 2. Neighborhood commercial district. 3. Office/professional district. ... ... C. No person may be cited under this section unless the person engages in conduct prohibited by this section after having been notified by a law enforcement officer that the conduct violates this section.
Full Breakdown
Section 7.20.040 is Santee's dedicated sidewalk sit-lie rule, distinct from the general loitering ban in § 7.20.030. It applies during the 14-hour daytime window of 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and only within named commercial and mixed-use zones: the general commercial district, neighborhood commercial district, office/professional district, and the commercial, civic center, institutional, and residential/office/commercial portions of the town center district. Subsection B carves out five exceptions so the rule does not reach medical emergencies, people using a wheelchair, walker or similar mobility device, businesses or events operating under a street use permit, people sitting on a City- or property-owner-supplied bench or chair, and people waiting for transit within a bus stop zone.
Subsection C adds a due-process step found nowhere in the general loitering section: a person cannot be cited under § 7.20.040 unless a law enforcement officer has already told them the conduct violates the section and they continue anyway. The rule sits inside Chapter 7.20, Loitering and Camping, whose stated purpose in § 7.20.010 is to give the Sheriff's Santee Station and the City Attorney's office enforcement tools against loitering, camping on public property, sleeping in public facilities and aggressive solicitation, with instructions to strictly enforce and prosecute violations.
Violations & Fines
Section 7.20.040(C) requires an officer to first notify the person that their conduct violates the section before any citation issues; only a repeat violation after that notice is chargeable. Chapter 7.20 violations are declared a public nuisance under § 7.20.160 and enforceable criminally, civilly or administratively under Chapters 1.04, 1.08, 1.10 and 1.12, defaulting to a misdemeanor under § 1.04.050 and fined per Penal Code § 19 via § 1.04.060.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where in Santee is sitting or lying on the sidewalk banned?
Are there exceptions to Santee's sit-lie sidewalk rule?
Can someone be cited the first time they sit on a Santee sidewalk?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santee
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