Ada County, ID Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)

Ada County Code section 2-3-6(B) prohibits loitering in or on the property of the Ada County Public Safety Complex unless the person is providing goods or performing services under a contract with the county. The ordinance defines 'loiter' two ways: entering the property without the purpose of conducting, assisting with, or accompanying someone conducting lawful business with a government agency located there, or remaining on the property for an unreasonable amount of time after that lawful business has been completed. The loitering ban sits alongside subsection A, which separately prohibits soliciting business, demonstrating, picketing, distributing material, or holding a parade or rally on Public Safety Complex property, and subsection C, which restricts parking and camping there to people actually conducting business at the complex.

Subsection C also makes it a misdemeanor to enter the Public Safety Complex's restricted areas without authorization or to cross its perimeter fence regardless of posted signage. Because the Public Safety Complex houses the Ada County Sheriff's Office and related law enforcement functions on Barrister Drive in Boise, the loitering rule functions as a security measure for that specific campus rather than a general county-wide loitering law; it does not apply to sidewalks, parks, or other public property outside the complex's boundaries.