Kokomo, IN Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)

Section 96.19 of the Kokomo Code of Ordinances, most recently amended by Ordinance 7143 on June 24, 2024, lists eighteen categories of disorderly conduct inside city parks, and subsection (I) is the loitering and vagrancy clause: no person or group may loiter in or near any building, toilet, stable, swimming pool, community center, or other park structure, or loiter in or near a vehicle within the park. The clause is narrower than a citywide vagrancy law; it applies only within park boundaries defined in § 96.10 as land, water, and facilities owned, leased, controlled, or used by the Parks and Recreation Department.

Related subsections in the same section reinforce enforcement: subsection (K) lets rangers or Board agents order a person who will not abide by posted park rules to leave, and subsection (M) makes it a separate violation to fail or refuse to comply with a lawful order from park personnel or a law enforcement officer. Subsection (L) further bars resisting, obstructing, or being abusive toward a park ranger or Board agent carrying out enforcement duties. Rangers, defined in § 96.10 as employees, patrolmen, or law enforcement officers appointed by the Board of Park Commissioners, patrol Kokomo's park system and can order loiterers to leave a building, restroom, or parked vehicle on the spot before pursuing a citation.