Charlottesville, VA Public Conduct: Aggressive Panhandling (2026)

Section 28-31 of the Charlottesville City Code regulates, rather than outlaws, requests for money or the sale of goods and services in public. It targets nine specific situations: soliciting in an aggressive manner in any public area; soliciting on a bus or at a bus stop; soliciting within 15 feet of a bank entrance during business hours or an ATM while it is in service; soliciting anyone seated in an outdoor cafe or at a vendor table; soliciting on private property after the owner has objected or posted a no-solicitation sign; and soliciting while in the roadway, median or shoulder within 300 feet of the Emmet/Barracks, Emmet/Hydraulic, Route 250/River Road, and Main/Ridge-McIntire intersections, plus a 50-foot buffer at the Downtown Mall's 2nd Street West and 4th Street East crossings when those streets carry traffic.

The ordinance defines 'solicit' broadly to include an outstretched hand or extended cup, and it defines 'aggressive manner' to include unwanted physical contact, following a person after they refuse, continuing to ask after a negative response in a way meant to intimidate, blocking someone's path, and using obscene or threatening language or gestures. A 'public area' under the section covers alleys, sidewalks, parks, parking lots, and building entrances open to the public. Any violation is a Class 3 misdemeanor, punishable under § 1-11(a)(3) by a fine of up to $500 with no jail time.

The rule was adopted in 2003 and last amended in 2010, and it applies citywide, including the Downtown Mall, without regard to whether the person soliciting is asking for a charity, a sale, or personal need.