Corona, CA Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)

Corona Code of Ordinances § 10.56.060(B), "Obstructing entrances," provides: "No person, after first being warned by a law enforcement officer, shall loiter or stand in or upon any public highway, street, alley, sidewalk, crosswalk, bridge, plaza, park, driveway, parking lot, or building open to the general public, including those that serve food or drink, provide entertainment, or are engaged in selling products or goods to the public... in such manner as to unreasonably obstruct, block, or interfere with the normal use of the entrance to any business establishment, public building, or other facility which is open to the public including, but not limited to, any house of worship hall, theater, or place of public assemblage."

The section is one of six subsections in § 10.56.060: subsection (A) states the chapter's purpose of keeping public streets and property accessible; subsection (C) separately bans obstructing general pedestrian passage by sitting, lying, kneeling or sleeping; and subsection (E) targets willfully hindering moving or parked vehicles. Subsection (D)'s exceptions apply chapter-wide, so loitering while waiting in line to enter a business, distributing political or religious literature, or conducting a lawful business is not a violation of subsection (B), and a prior officer warning is required before any citation issues.

Chapter 10.56 was last amended by Ordinance 2619 in 2002, adding the current obstruction language to the 1978 pedestrian chapter (Ordinance 1506). Violations carry the chapter's general penalty at § 10.56.060(F): a misdemeanor fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both, with discretion for the City Attorney, City Prosecutor, or District Attorney to charge the offense as an infraction instead.