Salem, OR Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)

Salem Revised Code Sec. 390 makes it unlawful for any minor under the age of 18 to go into, visit, or loiter in or about any gambling house. The section traces to the Prior Code under Ordinance No. 3389 and is one of only three places the word "loiter" appears anywhere in Salem's code; the others are a similar minors-only rule barring loitering at premises displaying obscene material (Sec. 140) and the alcohol chapter's ban on loitering while drinking in a public place of business (Sec.

020(b)). Salem has no standalone adult vagrancy or general loitering ordinance in its current code; loitering is regulated only in these narrow, place-specific contexts tied to minors or alcohol. 575(1)(c), which separately makes it a crime to induce, cause or permit a person under 18 to participate in gambling, showing the ordinance was written to reinforce that state prohibition at the municipal level. As with most Chapter 95 offenses, Sec. 390 states no penalty of its own, so the citywide general penalty in Sec. 070 applies by default.