Boulder, CO Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)

Section 5-6-7 is a single, tightly written sentence that covers nearly every place a person in Boulder is likely to be: the pedestrian mall downtown, any city park within the city limits, business and industrial zoning districts, and even residential property, unless the property owner has given express permission. The only way to void lawfully in those areas is into a receptacle that was actually provided for that purpose, that disposes of waste sanitarily, and that is enclosed from public view, meaning a portable toilet or fixed restroom, not an alley or doorway.

Unlike the curfew or fireworks sections, this offense carries no list of affirmative defenses tied to emergency or medical necessity in the text itself, so officers apply it strictly to the conduct described. The section is also cross-referenced inside Boulder's nuisance-party ordinance, Section 5-3-11(b), where a party guest's public urination is one of the listed violations that can turn a private gathering into a chargeable public nuisance for the host. Enforcement falls to Boulder Police, most visibly on and around the Pearl Street Mall and in downtown green spaces, and prosecution proceeds in Boulder Municipal Court under the general Title 5 penalty in Section 5-2-4: a fine of up to $2,650 per violation, up to ninety days in jail, or both, with jail available only on proof the conduct was intentional, knowing, or reckless.