Santa Clara, CA Public Conduct: Jaywalking (2026)
Key Facts
- Business-district rule
- Crosswalk required, no mid-block crossing
- 200-foot rule
- No crossing within 200 ft of a marked crosswalk
- Exceptions
- Emergencies and parked-vehicle access/egress
- Crosswalk authority
- Traffic engineer marks under SCCC § 10.05.420
- Classification
- Infraction under SCCC § 10.05.090
- First-offense fine
- Up to $100 per SCCC § 1.05.070
Summary
Santa Clara bars pedestrians from crossing any roadway in a business district except at a marked crosswalk, under Section 10.05.430 of the City Code. Even outside business districts, once a crosswalk is marked at an intersection, pedestrians cannot stand in or cross the roadway within 200 feet of it except in the crosswalk itself, unless it's an emergency or they're entering or exiting a parked car.
§ 10.05.430. Pedestrian use of crosswalks. (a) No pedestrian shall cross a roadway other than by a crosswalk in any business district. (b) Except in cases of emergency, or for the purpose of entering or exiting from a parked vehicle, where crosswalks are duly marked at street intersections, no pedestrian shall stand in or cross the roadway within two hundred (200) feet of such crosswalk other than in the marked crosswalk.
Full Breakdown
430, part of the Motor Vehicle and Traffic Regulations chapter, splits pedestrian crossing enforcement into two rules. " Subsection (b) reaches beyond business districts wherever a crosswalk has been marked at a street intersection: pedestrians cannot stand in or cross the roadway within 200 feet of that marked crosswalk except by using it, with narrow exceptions for emergencies and for people getting into or out of a legally parked vehicle. 420, which lets the City Manager or designee designate a mid-block crossing and directs the traffic engineer to place the signs, marks, or lines, and separately authorizes prohibiting pedestrian crossing at a marked intersection crosswalk if the City posts notice of the prohibition. 430(a) regardless of gaps in traffic. 090, which makes any forbidden act or omission under the chapter an infraction.
Violations & Fines
Crossing mid-block in a business district, or standing in or crossing a roadway within 200 feet of a marked intersection crosswalk outside the crosswalk itself, violates SCCC § 10.05.430 and is an infraction under SCCC § 10.05.090. Fines run through the general penalty schedule at SCCC § 1.05.070: up to $100 for a first violation, $200 for a second of the same or similar provision within a year, and $500 for each one after that, with the City Attorney's office retaining discretion to charge repeat or aggravated conduct as a misdemeanor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is jaywalking illegal everywhere in Santa Clara or just downtown?
Can I cross mid-block to reach my parked car?
What's the penalty for jaywalking in Santa Clara?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Clara
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Jaywalking in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Santa Clara County handle jaywalking.