Tallahassee, FL Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Scope
- In or near structures/facilities in city parks
- Standard used
- F.S. § 856.021 loitering standard
- Required first step
- Officer must ask person to identify/explain
- Violation type
- Noncriminal offense
- Consequence
- Warning, ejection, or trespass warning
- Governing section
- Code of General Ordinances § 13-34(b)(6)
Summary
In Tallahassee city parks, Code of General Ordinances § 13-34(b)(6) bars loitering in or near any structure or facility in a manner that would create a justifiable alarm for the safety of others, using the same standard as Florida's loitering-and-prowling statute, F.S. § 856.021. Before an officer can warn or arrest, the person must first be given a chance to explain their presence.
It shall be unlawful for any person to do one or more of the following in a park or recreational facility owned, managed, maintained, or controlled by the city:...(6)Loiter in or near any structure or facility in a manner not usual for law-abiding individuals under circumstances that warrant a justifiable and reasonable alarm or immediate concern for the safety of persons in the vicinity. See F.S. § 856.021. A law enforcement officer shall, prior to issuance of a trespass warning or any arrest for an offense under this section, afford the person an opportunity to dispel any alarm or immediate concern which would otherwise be warranted by requesting the person to identify himself or herself and explain his or her presence and conduct.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Land Development Code: Supplement 75 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 75).
Full Breakdown
Section 13-34(b) lists a second set of unlawful park activities separate from subsection (a). 021, the state loitering and prowling statute, as the governing standard. The section builds in a procedural safeguard borrowed from that same state law: before a law enforcement officer can issue a trespass warning or make an arrest under this clause, the officer must first give the person an opportunity to dispel the alarm by asking them to identify themselves and explain their presence and conduct. Only if that explanation fails to resolve the concern does enforcement proceed.
Subsection (b) covers other conduct in the same list, including defacing park property (item 2), harming wildlife (item 3), and dumping trash (item 7), and the subsection's closing sentence sets the shared consequence: a noncriminal offense carrying a warning, immediate ejection from the park, or a trespass warning, with immediate ejection and a trespass warning available if warranted. Because this clause is written into the parks chapter, it reaches loitering in or near structures and facilities within city parks and recreational facilities specifically, not general loitering anywhere in the city.
Violations & Fines
Loitering near a structure or facility in a Tallahassee park under circumstances warranting reasonable alarm is a noncriminal offense under § 13-34(b): the response is a warning, immediate ejection, or a trespass warning, after the officer has first given the person a chance to identify themselves and explain their presence per the F.S. § 856.021 standard incorporated into the section.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as illegal loitering in a Tallahassee park?
Can an officer arrest me right away for loitering in a park?
Does this loitering rule apply outside of parks?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tallahassee
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Tallahassee to another location·View the Florida public conduct overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.