Elk Grove, CA Public Conduct: Jaywalking (2026)

Elk Grove Municipal Code Chapter 10.20 governs pedestrian crossings citywide. Section 10.20.040 states plainly: "No pedestrian shall cross a roadway at any place other than by a route at a right angle to the curb or by the shortest route to the opposite curb except in a marked crosswalk." That single sentence is the city's jaywalking rule: diagonal crossings, cutting mid-block at an angle, or wandering off the direct line between curbs outside a painted crosswalk all violate the section.

Section 10.20.030 gives the Public Works Director separate authority to shut down specific crosswalks or stretches of roadway to foot traffic. Once the Director determines a crosswalk should not be used and posts the required traffic control devices, "No person shall thereafter walk in any such crosswalk unless indicated otherwise." The same section lets the Director bar crossing anywhere along a stretch of roadway between intersections once signage is in place, and separately bars standing on a sidewalk in a way that blocks other pedestrians, or lingering on a pedestrian bridge or overcrossing longer than needed to cross it.

Related Section 10.20.050 bars standing in the roadway outside a safety zone or crosswalk if it interferes with traffic, exempting officers, construction workers and utility employees on duty. Chapter 10.20 carries no penalty clause of its own; violations of Title 10 fall under EGMC Chapter 1.04's citywide enforcement scheme.