Fontana, CA Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)

Fontana Municipal Code Sec. 16-11 provides that no person shall linger, loiter, sit, stand or otherwise use for any purpose any parking or open space on any commercial or private property in a manner that violates the expressed wish of the owner, legal tenant, or manager of that property. The section traces to Code 1968 § 18-26 and has not been amended since consolidation into the current code. It is narrower than a blanket anti-loitering law: the violation turns on defying an express wish from someone with control of the property, not merely being present.

It works alongside two related trespass provisions in the same article: Sec. 16-9, which criminalizes remaining on private property or business premises after being told to leave, and Sec. 16-10, which criminalizes entering property after being told to stay away. Together the three sections give Fontana police and property owners a graduated toolkit, from loitering in a parking lot or common area to outright trespass after notice. Because Sec. 16-11 does not itself state a fine or jail term, the offense is punished under the citywide general penalty clause at Sec. 1-7, which lets prosecutors charge it as either a misdemeanor or an infraction depending on the circumstances and the person's history.