California Penal Code section 647(c) prohibits accosting people for money in public. Riverside County supplements the state rule with Ordinance 743 restrictions near ATMs, parking facilities, and freeway ramps in unincorporated areas.
Penal Code section 647(c) makes it a misdemeanor to accost people in public for the purpose of begging or receiving alms. Riverside County Ordinance 743 narrows prohibited solicitation conduct to focus on time, place, and manner restrictions: no soliciting within 15 feet of an ATM, bus stop, gas pump, sidewalk cafe table, or parked vehicle being entered or exited, and no panhandling on freeway off-ramps where it endangers traffic safety. Passive sign-holding remains protected First Amendment expression. Enforcement balances public-safety needs with constitutional speech rights under Reed v. Town of Gilbert.
Aggressive solicitation may be charged as a misdemeanor under Penal Code section 647(c) with up to six months jail and $1,000 fine, plus Ordinance 743 administrative citations.
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See how Riverside County's aggressive panhandling rules stack up against other locations.
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