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Saint Paul, MN Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Citation
Saint Paul Legislative Code § 280.06
Penalty
Up to $1,000 fine or 90 days jail
Enforced by
Saint Paul Police Department
Related section
§ 272.03 loitering for prostitution/narcotics
Chapter
Chapter 280, Certain Miscellaneous Misdemeanors

Summary

Saint Paul Legislative Code § 280.06 makes it a misdemeanor to loiter on city streets after midnight while lying in wait, hiding, or consorting with thieves, prostitutes, or "other questionable characters." Saint Paul police enforce it citywide alongside the narrower § 272.03 loitering-for-vice statute.

No person shall loiter about the streets after midnight and lie in wait or concealment in said City of Saint Paul, or consort with thieves, prostitutes or other questionable characters.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 133 Update 1).

Full Breakdown

07 sleeping or hiding in box cars and barns, the drafters treated late-night loitering as one strand of a broader nuisance-and-suspicious-conduct chapter rather than a stand-alone anti-vagrancy law. 05 list factual circumstances, repeated beckoning to passersby, acting as a lookout, furtive exchanges of currency, officers may use to prove that intent. 05: a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine, 90 days in jail, or both. Saint Paul police make these stops, and prosecution runs through the city attorney's office in Ramsey County District Court. 05) or the vice-loitering statute rather than charge it alone.

Violations & Fines

Violating § 280.06 is a misdemeanor under the citywide penalty section, § 1.05: up to a $1,000 fine, 90 days in jail, or both, regardless of any lesser penalty printed elsewhere in the code. Saint Paul police issue the citation and the case is prosecuted by the city attorney in Ramsey County District Court.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is loitering after midnight illegal in Saint Paul even if I'm not doing anything else wrong?
Under § 280.06, the ordinance bars loitering combined with lying in wait, hiding, or consorting with thieves, prostitutes, or "questionable characters": simply standing on a sidewalk after midnight isn't itself the violation, but officers can charge on those broader terms if they believe the circumstances fit.
What's the difference between § 280.06 and § 272.03?
Section 280.06 is the general late-night loitering-with-concealment offense in Chapter 280. Section 272.03, in the vice chapter, is narrower and targets loitering specifically intended to solicit prostitution or distribute narcotics, using the factual factors in §§ 272.04–272.05 to prove intent.
What happens if I'm convicted under § 280.06?
It's a misdemeanor under the city's general penalty section, § 1.05: a fine of up to $1,000, up to 90 days in jail, or both, imposed by Ramsey County District Court after a city attorney prosecution.

Sources & Official References

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