Beaumont, CA Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)

Chapter 8.44 of the Beaumont Municipal Code, enacted as Ordinance 706 in 1992 and printed in Title 8 (Health and Safety), has exactly three sections: the prohibition, the citation authority and the penalty.

Section 8.44.010 states the rule. No person can urinate or defecate in public. The one exception is written around a fixture and an enclosure: using a urinal, toilet or commode located in a bathroom, restroom or other structure enclosed from public view. The exception turns on enclosure from public view, and the text does not turn on whether the restroom belongs to the City or to a private business. The chapter has no definitions section, so the words "in public" carry no special definition in the code.

Section 8.44.020 names the enforcers: the Chief of Police or any members of his department are authorized to cite any violation of the chapter. Enforcement therefore sits with the Beaumont Police Department, and the section names no code enforcement officer.

Section 8.44.030 sets the penalty: any person violating any provision of the chapter is deemed guilty of a misdemeanor. That wording differs from the neighboring chapters. Chapter 8.42 on park smoking and Chapter 8.32 on nuisances both let the Enforcement Officer choose between an Administrative Citation under Chapter 1.17 and an infraction under Chapter 1.16. Chapter 8.44 offers no such choice in its text, so the offense is charged as a misdemeanor.

The punishment range comes from the City's general penalty chapter. Section 1.16.020 provides that, except where a different punishment is prescribed by an ordinance, a person convicted of a misdemeanor for violating a City ordinance is punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000.00, by imprisonment not to exceed six months, or by both.