Sonoma, CA Public Conduct: Jaywalking (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- SMC Ch. 10.44 Pedestrian Regulations
- Crosswalk-use rule
- SMC § 10.44.020
- Trigger distance
- Marked crosswalk within 100 feet
- Covers skateboards/skates
- Yes, by definition of pedestrian
- Default penalty
- Misdemeanor under Ch. 1.12 SMC
Summary
In the City of Sonoma, pedestrians must cross a roadway inside a marked crosswalk if one exists within 100 feet in any direction, under Sonoma Municipal Code Chapter 10.44. Crossing mid-block or between intersections outside that 100-foot zone is not itself illegal, but stepping into the street elsewhere when a nearby crosswalk exists is a citable violation.
No pedestrian shall cross a roadway other than in a crosswalk. No pedestrian shall cross a roadway in any other place in the city where there is a marked crosswalk within 100 feet in any direction, except in such a crosswalk. A "pedestrian" includes any person who is afoot or who is using a means of conveyance propelled by human power other than a bicycle, including, but not limited to, roller skates and skateboards.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 13-2025, passed December 3, 2025).
Full Breakdown
44 Pedestrian Regulations of Title 10 (Vehicles and Traffic). 010 authorizes the city traffic engineer to establish and maintain marked crosswalks at all intersections within the central traffic district, and elsewhere where there is a particular hazard to pedestrians, but bars placing a mid-block crosswalk in any block shorter than 400 feet. 020: 'No pedestrian shall cross a roadway other than in a crosswalk. ' The section defines 'pedestrian' broadly to include not just a person on foot but anyone using roller skates or a skateboard, so a skateboarder crossing outside a nearby marked crosswalk is also covered.
010(C), and disobeying such a posted sign is a separate basis for a citation. Because the rule is keyed to a 100-foot radius rather than a citywide ban on street-crossing, the practical effect is that pedestrians in the compact downtown area around the Plaza, where marked crosswalks are frequent under the central traffic district designation, have little room to legally cross outside a marked crossing, while a pedestrian well away from any marked crosswalk is not violating this section by crossing where they stand. 12's general penalty provisions, not merely a fix-it ticket.
Violations & Fines
Crossing outside a marked crosswalk when one exists within 100 feet, or crossing at all where no crosswalk exists but one has been posted as closed to pedestrians, is a violation of Section 10.44.020. Because Chapter 10.44 sets no special penalty, Section 10.76.010 makes any Title 10 violation a misdemeanor, punishable per Chapter 1.12 SMC, and prosecutors and police in practice can also cite it as a lesser infraction depending on the circumstances.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to cross the street outside a crosswalk in the City of Sonoma?
Does the City of Sonoma's jaywalking rule apply to skateboarders?
Can the city block pedestrians from using a specific crosswalk?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sonoma
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Jaywalking in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Sonoma County handle jaywalking.