Lane County, OR Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Lane Code § LC 6.050.025
- Maximum fine
- $1,000 upon conviction
- Maximum jail term
- 30 days in County jail
- After-hours window
- 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. (courthouse/butterfly lot)
- Covered property
- County roads, parks, courthouse, fairgrounds, Willamalane
Summary
Lane County bans loitering or wandering without a lawful purpose in or upon any County-owned building or premises under LC 6.050.025. A person who refuses to state their purpose or refuses to leave when a duly authorized officer asks, or who is on the property outside normal business hours without permission, is presumed to be trespassing. Conviction carries up to a $1,000 fine and 30 days in jail.
A. No person shall, without having a lawful purpose, loiter or wander in or upon County owned buildings or premises. ... D. It shall be presumed that a person is acting without a lawful purpose if: 1. Said person is in or upon any County owned building or premises at times other than during hours of normal business or operation, and for purposes of the butterfly parking lot, its contiguous county property, and the Public Service Building and its contiguous county property, "normal business hours or operation" does not include 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., and without permission to be there, or ... 3. Said person is in or upon any County owned building or premises and upon request of a duly authorized officer refuses to disclose said person's purpose of being there or refuses to leave said building or premises.
Full Breakdown
025 makes it an offense to loiter or wander without a lawful purpose in or upon any County-owned building or premises (subsection A), to enter and interfere with the peaceful use of those buildings by others (B), or to congregate in a way that interferes with peaceful use or risks a breach of the peace (C). ; being on courthouse-area property after hours without a valid parking pass; or refusing, when asked by a duly authorized officer, to say why you are there or to leave.
"County owned building or premises" is defined broadly in subsection E to include County roads, parks, parking lots, the County Courthouse, the Juvenile Court Center, the Fairgrounds and Extension Building, and Willamalane Park and Recreation District property. A "duly authorized officer" under subsection F is the Board of County Commissioners, the County Administrator, or anyone they delegate to control the property, and the delegation does not need to be in writing. 995A by a fine of up to $1,000, up to 30 days in the County jail, or both.
Violations & Fines
A violation of LC 6.050.025 is not a mere civil infraction; LC 6.750.995A sets the penalty at a fine of not more than $1,000, imprisonment in the County jail for not more than 30 days, or both, upon conviction. Refusing to identify your purpose or refusing to leave when a duly authorized officer asks is itself enough to establish the presumption of unlawful loitering under subsection D(3), independent of any other conduct.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I be cited just for standing around a County park after hours?
What counts as a 'County owned building or premises'?
What happens if I refuse to tell an officer why I'm on County property?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lane County
Compare Lane County to another location·View the Oregon public conduct overview
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