Hemet, CA Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)

Section 90-90(g) applies to "all uses engaging in the on-sale or off-sale of alcoholic beverages, including without limitation uses in existence prior to the effective date of the ordinance...and uses that are listed in subsection (e)(1) as exempt from the conditional use permit requirement," meaning even ABC-licensed restaurants, small grocery stores and gift shops that do not need a conditional use permit still must comply with the no-loitering standard. Subsection (g)(1) separately requires off-sale-only retailers to post a sign that consuming alcohol in public is unlawful, and (g)(2) bars open containers and on-site consumption around the premises.

The loitering standard sits alongside eight other mandatory performance standards in the same subsection: parking-lot lighting of at least one foot-candle, 24-hour surveillance camera recordings kept for 60 days, graffiti removal within 48 hours, a ban on window advertising covering more than 25 percent of glass, daily litter removal, and mandatory ABC-approved employee training within 30 days of hire.

The loitering ban connects to the city's broader "deemed approved alcohol use" nuisance program in § 90-60, which lets the city hold an administrative hearing before a hearing officer if an alcohol business is chronically out of compliance with the § 90-90(g) standards, including loitering. That hearing can result in new operating conditions, administrative penalties, or revocation of the business's deemed-approved status, based on how long the violation persisted, its impact on the community, and the owner's documented efforts to remedy it, such as timely calls to police or installing security cameras and lighting.