Gilroy, CA Public Conduct: Aggressive Panhandling (2026)

Gilroy City Code Section 16A.19.2 makes it unlawful for any person to solicit, ask or beg in an "aggressive manner" in any public place. Section 16A.19.1 defines six kinds of conduct that qualify: approaching, speaking to, or following a person in a way likely to make a reasonable person fear bodily harm or property loss, or feel intimidated into giving money; intentionally touching a person or an occupied vehicle without consent; intentionally blocking or interfering with safe passage of a pedestrian or vehicle; using violent or threatening gestures; persisting after being told no; and using profane, offensive or abusive language likely to provoke an immediate violent reaction.

Article V layers on location-specific bans that apply even without aggressive conduct: no soliciting within 25 feet of a bank, savings and loan, credit union, check-cashing business or ATM entrance during business hours (Section 16A.19.3(a)); no approaching vehicle occupants in a traffic lane or public parking lot, or soliciting from a traffic median (Section 16A.19.3(b)(1)); no soliciting within 100 feet of a signalized intersection or 50 feet of a commercial parking lot entrance; no soliciting in a public parking lot or structure after dark (Section 16A.19.3(b)(2)); and no soliciting within 25 feet of a public transportation stop (Section 16A.19.3(c)). Restaurants may eject a solicitor who refuses to leave their dining area. Exemptions cover on-premises business solicitations, towing, emergency repairs, emergency vehicles, and hailing a cab, and nonaggressive solicitation using signs or leaflets remains lawful under Section 16A.19.3(e).