Tustin, CA Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Sit-Lie Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Tustin City Code § 6104
- Trigger
- Officer warning or posted sign
- Covers
- Streets, sidewalks, private public-use areas
- Penalty source
- Tustin City Code § 1121
- Max misdemeanor fine
- $1,000 / 6 months
Summary
Tustin bars standing, sitting or lying on a public street, sidewalk, curb or crosswalk if it blocks passage, once a law enforcement officer has issued a warning. Tustin City Code Section 6104 extends the same rule to private property held open to the public.
No person, after first being warned by a law enforcement officer, shall stand, sit, or lie in or upon any public street, sidewalk, curb, crosswalk, walkway area, or mall so as to hinder or obstruct the free passage of pedestrians or vehicles thereon; nor shall any person block, obstruct, or prevent the free access to the entrance of any building open to the public. ... No person after first being warned by a law enforcement officer, or where a sign or signs have been posted in accordance with this section, shall stand, sit, or lie in or upon any portion of private property utilized for public space, so as to hinder or obstruct the free passage of pedestrians or vehicles thereon; (nor) shall any person block, obstruct, or prevent the free access to the entrance of any building open to the public.
Full Breakdown
Section 6104(a) makes it unlawful, after a law enforcement officer has first issued a warning, to stand, sit or lie in or upon any public street, sidewalk, curb, crosswalk, walkway area or mall so as to hinder or obstruct the free passage of pedestrians or vehicles, or to block, obstruct or prevent free access to the entrance of any building open to the public. Section 6104(b) applies the identical rule to private property that is utilized for public space, triggered either by an officer's warning or by a posted sign, so a shopping center or plaza owner can post notice to bring the private-property version into effect.
The section dates to Ordinance No. 1069 in 1991 and was amended by Ordinance No. 1287 in 2004. Because the chapter carries no separate penalty clause of its own, enforcement falls to Tustin City Code Section 1121, the citywide general penalty provision, which classifies an unspecified Code violation as a misdemeanor unless the enforcement officer or City Attorney charges it as an infraction.
Violations & Fines
A Section 6104 violation defaults to a misdemeanor under the citywide general penalty rule in Section 1121 unless charged as an infraction, in which case a first violation carries a fine up to $100, a second within one year up to $200, and each further violation within that year up to $500; a misdemeanor conviction can bring a fine up to $1,000, up to six months in the Orange County jail, or both, and each day of a continuing violation is a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I be cited for sitting on a Tustin sidewalk?
Does Tustin's sit-lie rule apply on private property?
What is the penalty for violating Tustin's sit-lie ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tustin
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