San Francisco Police Code Section 120-2 prohibits aggressive solicitation — touching, blocking, threatening, or following — and bans solicitation near ATMs, bus stops, and outdoor dining at any time of day.
Police Code Section 120-2 distinguishes peaceful, protected solicitation from aggressive panhandling, which is unlawful. Conduct prohibited includes touching the person solicited without consent, blocking their path, following after refusal, using profane or threatening language, and soliciting in a group of two or more in an intimidating manner. Location restrictions ban any solicitation within 20 feet of an ATM or bank entrance, at bus or rail stops, on public transit, in parking lots, and at outdoor restaurant seating. Enforcement is by SFPD citation; the city's emphasis is on de-escalation and connecting individuals to homeless services rather than incarceration.
Touching, threatening, or blocking after refusal, or soliciting near ATMs or transit, results in SFPD citation as an infraction or misdemeanor, with possible diversion to homeless services.
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