Owensboro, KY Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)

Section 17-5 traces to the 1955 Code and bans loitering or loafing in two settings: on the premises of any railroad or bus company in the city, including in or about the buildings on those grounds, and in or about any fire station, police station, or public school buildings, grounds, or premises in the city. The section names no specific fine, so Sec. 1-11's general penalty controls: where the Code declares conduct unlawful without setting its own punishment, the violation is punishable by a fine of no less than $25 and no more than $500, and the general penalty section also makes each day a violation continues a separate offense unless the specific ordinance says otherwise.

The Code cross-references KRS 525.090, Kentucky's loitering statute, alongside this local provision, so the same conduct near a depot, bus terminal, police or fire station, or school ground can support either a city citation or a state charge. Nearby sections address related but distinct conduct: Sec. 17-6 separately bars minors under sixteen from loitering at active construction sites unless accompanied by a parent or guardian, and Sec. 17-9 separately bars trespassing, lounging, or playing on school grounds without permission from the person in charge; neither of those substitutes for the depot-and-public-building loitering rule in Sec. 17-5 itself.