Clovis, CA Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- General obstruction ban
- § 5.27.501, blocking streets/sidewalks/entrances
- Old loitering chapter
- Ch. 5.7.1 repealed by Ord. 14-02 (2014)
- Weapons loitering
- Unlawful while carrying a concealed weapon (§ 4.6.02)
- Gang loitering warning
- Officer must offer chance to disperse first
- Large gathering threshold
- 10+ persons can be declared a nuisance (§ 5.27.504)
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor up to $1,000/6 months (§ 1.2.01)
Summary
Clovis makes it unlawful to stand or sit idly on a street or sidewalk in a way that blocks foot traffic, or to block the entrance to a church, theater, hall, or other public gathering place, under Municipal Code § 5.27.501. The City's nuisance chapter also lets police disperse crowds of ten or more whose conduct substantially disturbs a neighborhood.
It shall be unlawful for a person to stand or sit idly in or upon any street or sidewalk in a manner that hinders or obstructs the passage of persons passing along the same, or stand in or at the entrance of or approach to any church, hall, theater, public place, or public assemblage in any manner to obstruct such entrance or approach.
Full Breakdown
27 (Nuisances), Article 5 (Nuisance Related Activities), prohibits standing or sitting idly on a street or sidewalk in a way that hinders or obstructs passage, and separately bars standing at the entrance or approach to a church, hall, theater, public place, or public assemblage in a manner that obstructs that entrance or approach. 1, by Ordinance 14-02, effective March 5, 2014, and replaced it with the Article 5 nuisance-conduct sections adopted the same year. 502, separately makes it unlawful to engage in conduct annoying or injurious to passersby, or to fail to disperse when a crowd blocking a public way is ordered to move by a peace officer.
504 treats a gathering of ten or more people on public or private property as a public nuisance if it substantially disturbs the quiet enjoyment of a neighborhood through conduct such as excessive noise, obstruction of streets, public drunkenness, fights, or litter; the City can order the gathering disbanded and cite or arrest violators. 02 separately makes it unlawful to loaf or loiter on a public street, sidewalk, or alley, or on another's premises, while carrying a concealed dangerous or deadly weapon, or to loiter near a place where liquor is sold while so armed.
509 bars gang members from loitering in a public place to intimidate nonmembers, conceal illegal activity, or assert territorial control, with officers required to give a dispersal warning before arrest.
Violations & Fines
A § 5.27.501 obstruction, like most Chapter 5.27 nuisance violations, is enforceable as a misdemeanor under § 1.2.01, punishable by up to a $1,000 fine, up to six months in jail, or both, unless charged as an infraction with escalating $100, $200, and $500 fines for repeat violations within a year. Gang loitering under § 5.27.509 carries the same misdemeanor penalty but requires officers to first give a dispersal warning; only a return within eight hours or a refusal to leave supports arrest or citation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a general loitering law in Clovis?
Can Clovis police break up a crowd loitering outside a business?
Is it illegal to loiter with a weapon in Clovis?
What is Clovis's gang loitering law?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Clovis
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