Placer County, CA Public Conduct: Aggressive Panhandling (2026)
Key Facts
- Aggressive manner ban
- Any public place, § 9.38.030
- Bank/ATM buffer
- 25 feet during business hours
- Building entrance buffer
- 25 feet, § 9.38.040(B)
- Median/stop-sign buffer
- 100 feet, § 9.38.040(E)
- After-dark ban
- Sunset+30 min to sunrise-30 min
- Penalty
- Infraction or misdemeanor, DA's discretion
- Adopted
- Ordinance 5808-B, 2016
Summary
Placer County bans aggressive panhandling anywhere in an unincorporated public place, and layers on flat no-solicitation zones: no panhandling within 25 feet of a bank, ATM or building entrance, within 100 feet of a stop sign or median strip, or anywhere in public after dark. Violations can be charged as an infraction or misdemeanor at the district attorney's discretion.
A. No person shall panhandle, solicit, ask or beg in an aggressive manner in any public place. B. "Aggressive manner" means any of the following: 1. Approaching or speaking to a person or following a person before, during or after panhandling, soliciting, asking or begging, if that conduct is intended or is likely to cause a reasonable person to: (a) fear bodily harm to oneself or to another, damage to or loss of property, or (b) otherwise be intimidated into giving money or other thing of monetary value;
Full Breakdown
030 makes it unlawful to panhandle, solicit, ask or beg in an aggressive manner in any public place, and defines aggressive manner to include following or approaching someone in a way likely to cause fear of bodily harm or property loss, intentionally touching a person or vehicle without consent, blocking a pedestrian's or driver's path, using violent or threatening gestures, continuing to approach after being told no, or using profane or abusive language likely to provoke a violent reaction. 040 sets flat distance buffers regardless of manner: no panhandling within 25 feet of any bank, savings and loan, credit union or check-cashing business entrance during business hours, or within 25 feet of an ATM while it is available for use; within 25 feet of any public building entrance; in a public transportation vehicle or within 25 feet of a transit stop after being told to leave; in a restaurant's dining area after being told to leave; or within 100 feet of a stop sign or traffic signal, or on a public median strip.
050 separately bars all panhandling in any public place after dark, defined as from a half-hour after sunset to a half-hour before sunrise, unless it happens on private property open to the public with the owner's permission. The article, adopted by Ordinance 5808-B in 2016, states it is not meant to bar constitutionally protected picketing, protest or general fund solicitation, only the conduct or locations covered by these specific provisions.
Violations & Fines
Violating any provision of Article 9.38, whether the aggressive-manner ban, the 25-foot and 100-foot buffer zones, or the after-dark prohibition, may be charged as either an infraction or a misdemeanor, at the district attorney's discretion, under Section 9.38.060. The article carries its own severability clause at Section 9.38.070, so a court striking one provision does not invalidate the rest of the panhandling restrictions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is all panhandling illegal in unincorporated Placer County?
How close can someone panhandle to an ATM?
Can someone panhandle after dark in Placer County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Placer County
California rules heatmap·Compare Placer County to another location·View the California public conduct overview
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