Alpharetta, GA Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)

Section 30-19, Public urination or defecation, is a single-sentence prohibition covering four settings: on or adjacent to a street, alley, or sidewalk; on any property open to public view in the city; and in any portion of a public building other than a designated restroom. It is a stand-alone offense that applies no matter whether the person is intoxicated, which distinguishes it from an older, narrower provision in the same chapter. Section 30-4(a)(2), part of the 'disorderly while under the influence' offense, separately criminalizes defecating or urinating on streets, sidewalks, or in halls or elevators of public or commercial buildings, or on property open to public view, but only 'while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.' By adopting section 30-19 as its own offense, Alpharetta closed the gap for conduct that happens without intoxication being provable.

Section 30-19 was adopted by Ordinance No. 902, § 13, on May 18, 2026, part of the same council action that added sections 30-8 through 30-20 to the Offenses chapter, including the city's urban camping, aggressive panhandling, loitering, and vandalism provisions. The section carries no separate penalty clause of its own; it falls within chapter 30's general offense structure enforced by the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety.