James City County, VA Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)

Section 16-9, titled 'Toilets; cleanliness and use,' is a short but specific provision inside chapter 16's park regulations. It sets three separate duties: park visitors must cooperate in keeping restrooms neat and sanitary, no person over the age of six may enter a restroom designated for the opposite sex, and, in the sentence most directly on point here, there shall be no loitering in the restrooms. The section does not define 'loitering' itself, so the ordinary meaning, lingering in the restroom without using it for its intended purpose, governs how James City County Police Department officers and park staff apply it on the ground.

Because the loitering ban sits inside chapter 16's park regulations rather than chapter 15's general offenses, it only reaches restrooms located within public parks and recreation facilities the county owns, leases or operates, as defined in section 16-1; it does not create a county-wide loitering offense covering other public buildings or private business restrooms. Enforcement runs through section 16-24, the chapter's catch-all penalty clause: any violation of chapter 16, including section 16-9, is a Class 4 misdemeanor unless another penalty is specifically written into the section, and a violator may also be ejected from the park, building or facility involved.