Roseville, CA Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)

Chapter 10.34, adopted by Ordinance 1963 in 1986, is two sections long but carries real teeth. Section 10.34.010 defines loitering with a two-part, "reasonable person" test: someone has loitered if they enter and remain on any premises, public or private, under circumstances where a reasonable observer would conclude the person (1) has no purpose legitimately connected with the business or activity of the premises' legal occupant, and (2) has no bona fide intent to exercise a constitutional right, such as speech, assembly or petition. Both elements have to be true; a person who is present for a legitimate reason, or who is exercising a genuine constitutional right such as picketing or gathering signatures, is not loitering under this definition even if an officer or property owner would rather they leave.

Section 10.34.020 then makes loitering, so defined, unlawful anywhere in the incorporated area of the city, not just in specific zones or near specific businesses. The penalty escalates with repetition: a first violation is charged only as an infraction. A second or later violation of the section, or simply refusing to leave the premises once a peace officer has already issued a citation for loitering there, is elevated to a misdemeanor. That structure gives officers a warning-first tool for a first encounter while allowing a stronger charge against someone who returns to the same conduct or ignores a lawful order to leave.