Hercules, CA Public Conduct: Jaywalking (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- HMC § 3-4.904
- Rule
- Crosswalk required for business-district crossings
- Crosswalk placement
- Business-district intersections (§ 3-4.901)
- Mid-block spacing
- Minimum 400 ft between crosswalks (§ 3-4.902)
- Default penalty
- Misdemeanor, up to $1,000/6 months (§ 1-4.01)
Summary
Hercules requires pedestrians to cross the street inside a marked crosswalk whenever they are within a business district. Municipal Code Section 3-4.904 makes any other roadway crossing there unlawful, while related sections in the same article govern where those crosswalks get placed and how far apart they can sit.
No pedestrian shall cross a roadway in any business district other than by a crosswalk.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 555, passed March 25, 2025).
Full Breakdown
904 sits in Article 9, "Pedestrian Crosswalks," immediately after the sections that create the crosswalks pedestrians must use. 901 requires the Director of Public Works to provide and maintain marked crosswalks at every intersection within all business districts, plus any other spot the City Council has flagged as a particular pedestrian hazard. 902 caps how far apart mid-block crosswalks may be placed, barring one in any block shorter than four hundred feet, and requiring it to sit as close to mid-block as practicable when one is installed.
904's protection to the crosswalks that remain open. Put together, once a person is inside a business district, the only lawful way across the street is one of these marked or Council-designated crossings; stepping off the curb mid-block or diagonally across an intersection outside a marked crosswalk violates the section regardless of traffic conditions at the time. Outside business districts, the section imposes no such restriction, leaving ordinary Vehicle Code right-of-way rules to govern uncontrolled crossings elsewhere in the city.
Violations & Fines
Section 3-4.904 does not label itself an infraction, so it falls under the Code's default rule in Section 1-4.01(a): a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine, up to six months in jail, or both. In practice the City may instead issue an administrative citation under Section 1-4.02, which lets code enforcement or police impose the fine directly and gives the pedestrian fifteen calendar days to request a hearing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is jaywalking illegal in Hercules?
Where are crosswalks required in Hercules?
Can the city close a crosswalk to pedestrians?
What's the penalty for crossing outside a crosswalk in a Hercules business district?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hercules
California rules heatmap·Compare Hercules to another location·View the California public conduct overview
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