Modesto, CA Public Conduct: Jaywalking (2026)

902, titled 'Jaywalking Prohibited,' bars a pedestrian from crossing a roadway other than by a crosswalk when that roadway is located in a business district, using the Vehicle Code's own definition of a business district under Section 235. in 1959, then carried forward into the 2020 recodification by Ordinance No. S. 903 supplies the companion rule for the rest of the city: where there is no marked crosswalk, a pedestrian must cross at a route at right angles to the curb, or by the shortest route to the opposite curb, rather than cutting diagonally across traffic.

901 gives the Director of Public Works authority to establish and maintain crosswalks at intersections and other locations with paint, marks or devices on the roadway surface, which is what defines where a legal crossing point exists in the first place. Together the three sections create a simple standard: in business districts, use the marked crosswalk; everywhere else, cross by the most direct, perpendicular route.