Brookhaven, NY Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- Ch. 49B, Nuisance Abatement, Art. II
- Prohibited act
- Defecating or urinating outside a toilet/restroom
- Scope
- Public places and other public/private locations
- Minimum fine
- $25 (§ 49B-12)
- Maximum penalty
- $250 fine and/or 15 days jail
Summary
Brookhaven's Nuisance Abatement chapter bans defecating or urinating anywhere except a public or private toilet or restroom, covering public places under Penal Law Article 240 as well as other public or private locations, with fines up to $250 and jail time.
No person shall defecate or urinate in any public place, as defined in accordance with Article 240 of the Penal Law and acts amendatory thereto, or other public or private location except in a public or private toilet or restroom.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4966897; v79 updated 2026-05-28; through 05-28-2026).
Full Breakdown
Article II of Chapter 49B, titled "Conduct," opens with legislative findings that the "careless and unseemly custom and practice of some individuals who engage in human elimination in public and/or private places having no sanitary facilities" jeopardizes the peace, health and welfare of the Town (§ 49B-10). " That wording sweeps in private locations as well as public ones, so the exception, not the location, does the work: the only lawful place to go is a toilet or restroom, public or private. The article sits inside Chapter 49B, Nuisance Abatement, alongside the Town's separate civil public-nuisance injunction and $1,000-per-day civil penalty scheme (§§ 49B-4 through 49B-6), though those broader nuisance remedies target buildings and properties rather than individual conduct under Article II.
Violations & Fines
A violation of Article II is punishable under § 49B-12 by a minimum fine of $25, imprisonment not to exceed 15 days, or a court-fixed fine up to $250, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
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Public Urination in Nearby Cities
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