Youngstown, OH Public Conduct: Jaywalking (2026)

Youngstown Codified Ordinances Section 371.03, Crossing Roadway Outside Crosswalk; Diagonal Crossings at Intersections, sets four distinct rules. First, a pedestrian crossing at any point other than a marked crosswalk or an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection must yield the right of way to all vehicles on the roadway. Second, where a pedestrian tunnel or overhead pedestrian crossing has been built, anyone crossing at street level there must yield to all traffic, effectively requiring use of the tunnel or bridge. Third, between adjacent intersections where traffic control signals are operating, pedestrians may not cross anywhere except in a marked crosswalk, which is the section's clearest mid-block jaywalking ban.

Fourth, diagonal crossing through an intersection is barred unless official traffic control devices authorize it, and where authorized, pedestrians must follow those devices' specific crossing movements. The section does not relieve a driver of the separate duty to exercise due care to avoid hitting a pedestrian on any roadway, so a jaywalker's own violation does not excuse careless driving. This section traces to Ohio R.C. 4511.48, enacted locally as a Youngstown Traffic Code provision, and sits alongside Section 371.02's right-of-way protection for blind pedestrians using a white cane or guide dog, and Section 371.04's rule that pedestrians use the right half of crosswalks when practicable.