Santa Maria, CA Public Conduct: Jaywalking (2026)

02, in Chapter 7-11 (Pedestrians), states the rule in one sentence: it is unlawful for any pedestrian to cross a roadway other than in a crosswalk when within a business district. The rule is narrower than a citywide jaywalking ban; it applies specifically within business districts, leaving residential-area mid-block crossing to State Vehicle Code standards rather than a separate local prohibition. 01, sets up the infrastructure side of the rule: the City Council decides which intersections present a particular hazard to crossing pedestrians, and once designated, the City Engineer must establish and maintain a crosswalk approximately equal in width to the adjacent sidewalk, marked with appropriate devices, marks or white lines.

Together the two sections give police a straightforward enforcement basis in the commercial core, Broadway, Main Street and the surrounding business blocks, where pedestrian and vehicle conflicts are most concentrated. The section traces to Prior Code Section 16-32 and has not been amended since the code's original codification, so the business-district crosswalk requirement has stood unchanged for decades.