San Clemente, CA Public Conduct: Jaywalking (2026)
Key Facts
- Rule applies in
- Business districts only
- Crosswalk placement test
- Intersection hazard determination
- Minimum block for mid-block crosswalk
- 400 feet
- Typical citation
- Infraction, $100 first offense
- Alternate charge
- Misdemeanor, up to $1,000
Summary
San Clemente Municipal Code Section 10.24.020 requires pedestrians in any business district to cross the roadway only at a marked crosswalk, not mid-block. Crosswalks themselves are limited under Section 10.24.010: none may be placed mid-block in any block shorter than 400 feet, and the City Traffic Engineer only adds one where an intersection poses a particular pedestrian hazard.
B Other than crosswalks at intersections, no crosswalk shall be established in any block which is less than four hundred (400) feet in length, and such crosswalk shall be located as nearly as practicable to midblock. ... No pedestrian shall cross a roadway other than by a crosswalk in any business district.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Traffic: Supplement 30 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 66 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
020 states the crossing rule plainly: no pedestrian shall cross a roadway other than by a crosswalk in any business district. 010, which controls where crosswalks exist in the first place. 010(A), the City Traffic Engineer establishes and maintains crosswalks at intersections found to pose a particular hazard to crossing pedestrians. Subsection (B) then limits mid-block crossings: outside of intersections, no crosswalk may be located in any block shorter than 400 feet, and where one is placed it must sit as close to the middle of the block as practical.
030 separately requires pedestrians to obey dedicated pedestrian signals rather than the vehicle signal wherever both are present. 010, most commonly as an infraction: $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second and $500 for each later offense of the same provision within a year, or, if the City elects to charge it as a misdemeanor, up to $1,000 and six months in jail.
Violations & Fines
Crossing outside a marked crosswalk in a business district violates Section 10.24.020. The chapter sets no fine of its own, so citations run through the general penalty at Section 1.16.010: typically an infraction of $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second and $500 for each later offense within a year, though the City may instead pursue it as a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 and six months in jail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to cross the street outside a crosswalk anywhere in San Clemente?
How does the City decide where to put a crosswalk?
What happens if I get cited for jaywalking in a San Clemente business district?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Clemente
California rules heatmap·Compare San Clemente to another location·View the California public conduct overview
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