Colorado Springs, CO Public Conduct: Aggressive Panhandling (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 9.2.111
- Where it applies
- Any public place, incl. sidewalks, transit stops, parks, business entrances
- Maximum penalty
- Up to $2,500 fine, 189 days jail (§ 1.1.201)
- Adopted
- Ord. 02-214; amended Ord. 13-22, Ord. 16-14
- Not banned
- Lawful, non-coercive solicitation and panhandling
Summary
Colorado Springs City Code § 9.2.111 does not ban panhandling itself but makes it a crime to solicit money aggressively in any public place. Aggressive soliciting covers unwanted touching, blocking a pedestrian's path, threatening conduct, provocative profanity, or following someone in a way that would make a reasonable person fear for their safety or feel intimidated into giving money.
It is not the purpose of this section to prohibit lawful solicitation activity, but to regulate behaviors that are intimidating, threatening, coercive or obscene. ... C. Soliciting Prohibited: 1. It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in aggressive soliciting in any public place. "Aggressive soliciting" is defined as: a. Intentionally touching or causing physical contact with another person without that person's consent in the course of soliciting; b. Intentionally blocking, obstructing or interfering with the safe or free passage of a pedestrian or vehicle by any means...; c. Using violent or threatening conduct toward a person solicited which would cause a reasonable person to be fearful for his or her safety; d. Using profane or abusive language likely to provoke an immediate violent reaction from the person solicited or cause a reasonable person to be fearful for his or her safety; or e. Approaching or following a person for solicitation in a manner intended or likely to cause a reasonable person to fear imminent bodily harm or otherwise to be intimidated into giving money or other thing of value.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-21: Code current through: Ord. 26-23, passed June 9, 2026).
Full Breakdown
The ordinance, adopted by Ordinance 02-214 and last amended by Ordinance 16-14, applies anywhere in Colorado Springs that qualifies as a 'public place', streets, sidewalks, transit stops, parks, parking lots, and even the entryway or vestibule of a private business. 1 lists five specific behaviors that turn ordinary soliciting into a crime: unwanted physical contact, blocking or obstructing a pedestrian or vehicle, violent or threatening conduct, profane or abusive language likely to provoke a violent reaction, and approaching or following a person in a way intended or likely to cause fear of imminent bodily harm or that amounts to intimidating someone into giving money.
2 makes it unlawful to keep soliciting on private or residential property once the owner has asked the person to leave or to stop, and posting a 'No Soliciting' sign counts as that request. 201: a fine of up to $2,500, up to 189 days in jail, probation, or a combination, unless the Municipal Court sets a lesser payable fine. 3 also clarifies the ban does not reach solicitation conducted under a City-issued license or permit, such as licensed charitable fundraising.
Violations & Fines
A first aggressive-soliciting citation falls under the City's general penalty, City Code § 1.1.201: up to a $2,500 fine, up to 189 days in jail, probation, or a combination, at the Municipal Court's discretion. There is no separate escalating schedule for repeat aggressive-soliciting offenses in § 9.2.111 itself, unlike the neighboring sit-lie ordinance, so each citation is evaluated independently under the general penalty ceiling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is panhandling illegal in Colorado Springs?
Can I be cited for soliciting on someone's private property?
What's the penalty for aggressive soliciting in Colorado Springs?
Sources & Official References
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