Mebane, NC Public Conduct: Jaywalking (2026)

Section 28-127 of the Code of Ordinances, City of Mebane, North Carolina, forbids a pedestrian from taking a stand on the motor vehicular portion of any street, whether stopping there temporarily or pausing mid-crossing, and requires every pedestrian crossing a street to keep moving so as not to interfere with vehicular travel. Although the section is codified in Article IV alongside Mebane's parade and picketing rules, its text is not limited to demonstrators: it reaches any pedestrian who lingers in a travel lane. The neighboring Section 34-83, in the traffic chapter, reinforces the same expectation from the driver's side, barring a driver from entering an intersection or marked crosswalk unless there is room to clear it without blocking other vehicles or pedestrians.

Violating Section 28-127 is a misdemeanor under Section 28-121, which routes enforcement to the Code's general penalty in Section 1-6 rather than setting its own fine: a $500.00 civil penalty per citation, with an added $100.00 penalty if unresolved after 15 days. Mebane police officers, who also enforce the chapter's picketing and obstruction sections, issue the citation, and repeated or willful refusal to pay is prosecutable as a separate misdemeanor under G.S. 14-4, carrying up to a $500.00 fine or 30 days in jail.