Warner Robins, GA Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)

Sec. 5-21(a) bars anyone from remaining or loitering, after being directed by an officer to move away, in front of a church or place of worship during services, in front of a theater, concert hall, ballroom, coffeehouse or tavern, or from idling on hotels, sidewalks, or public streets or roads. Subsection (b) adds a broader definition: a person loiters when present in a place at a time or manner unusual for law-abiding people, under circumstances creating justifiable alarm or immediate concern for the safety of persons or property nearby.

Subsection (c) lists factors that can support that alarm, including fleeing at the sight of an officer, refusing to identify oneself, or trying to conceal oneself or an object, but it also builds in a due-process check: before making an arrest, the officer must give the person a chance to identify themselves and explain their presence and conduct, unless flight or other circumstances make that impractical. No conviction can stand if the officer skipped that step, or if the explanation given turns out to have been true and would have dispelled the alarm.

Two related sections extend liability: Sec. 5-22 makes it unlawful for a parent or guardian to permit a minor to violate the loitering section, and Sec. 5-23 does the same for a proprietor or manager who allows a minor to loiter on their premises. A separate provision, Sec. 5-24, targets loitering specifically to solicit paid sexual acts, and Sec. 5-25 targets loitering that manifests a purpose to engage in drug-related activity.