New Britain, CT Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)

Sec. 16-61 of the Code of Ordinances, part of Article III, Loitering and Trespassing, defines loitering as "remaining idle in essentially one location," including spending time idly, loafing, walking about aimlessly, or "hanging around," in any public place to which the general public has access, including parking garages and similar municipal facilities. The ordinance does not ban loitering outright; it bans loitering that creates a danger of a breach of the peace, disturbs or annoys another person's comfort and repose, obstructs the free passage of pedestrians or vehicles, or obstructs, molests or interferes with anyone lawfully present, and the section separately reaches unsolicited remarks that are offensive, disgusting, insulting, or meant to annoy or disturb the person who hears them.

Enforcement is complaint- and officer-driven rather than automatic: when a person's presence causes any of those listed conditions, any police officer may order the person to leave the place, and only a refusal to comply after that order becomes the actual violation, punishable under Sec. 1-15 of the general penalty chapter. A related section, Sec. 16-62, separately bars trespassing or loitering on posted public utility and infrastructure property, such as reservoirs, pumping stations, gas plants and sewage facilities, while Sec. 16-63 exempts law enforcement officers acting in their duties and labor unions peacefully distributing information from the article's reach.