Berkeley, CA Public Conduct: Jaywalking (2026)

020 targets business districts specifically, making it unlawful for any pedestrian to cross a roadway there other than by a crosswalk. Outside a marked crosswalk in a business district, jaywalking is a straightforward violation regardless of traffic conditions. 030 extends the logic citywide for any spot without a marked crosswalk, requiring pedestrians to cross at right angles to the curb or by the shortest route to the opposite curb; wandering diagonally across a street mid-block, even where crossing is otherwise allowed, violates this section. 040 adds that standing in the roadway outside a safety zone or crosswalk, when doing so interferes with the lawful movement of traffic, is also unlawful, along with misusing a safety zone or divisional island for anything besides temporary protection from moving vehicles; that provision exempts on-duty police, other public officers and utility employees.

010 gives the City Traffic Engineer authority to establish and mark the crosswalks that these rules turn on, so where a crosswalk is actually painted determines where the crossing obligation attaches. None of these sections requires a pedestrian to use a marked crosswalk when crossing outside a business district at a spot with no crosswalk at all, so long as the crossing is made at right angles or by the shortest route to the opposite curb.