Buena Park, CA Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 8.36.070, Chapter 8.36 Miscellaneous Offenses
- Default penalty
- Misdemeanor: up to $1,000 fine, 6 months jail
- Infraction alternative
- $100 first, $200 second, $500 third/year
- Appeal path
- Orange County Superior Court, $25 fee, 20 days
- Prior code source
- Prior Code § 18-23
Summary
Buena Park Municipal Code § 8.36.070 flatly bans urinating or defecating in any public place, on any public street, boulevard or highway, or anywhere within view of another person who is annoyed or offended by it. The rule sits inside Chapter 8.36's Miscellaneous Offenses alongside the city's open-alcohol and firearms-discharge bans, and it carries no built-in exception for a lack of nearby restrooms within Buena Park, Orange County.
No person shall urinate or defecate in any public place, on any public street, boulevard or highway, or at any place within view of any other person who is annoyed or offended thereby.
Full Breakdown
070 makes it unlawful to urinate or defecate in any public place, on any public street, boulevard or highway, or at any place within view of any other person who is annoyed or offended thereby. 36, Miscellaneous Offenses, a catch-all chapter that also bans open alcohol consumption on public streets and sidewalks, firearm discharge, air-gun and slingshot discharge, and spray-paint sales to minors. 010: any code violation is a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 and six months in jail unless it is charged or later prosecuted as an infraction, in which case the fine tops out at $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second within twelve months, and $500 for each further offense in that same year.
100, a citing official (a police officer or other employee the city manager authorizes) may instead issue an administrative citation, and the recipient can contest it by depositing the fine and filing a request-for-hearing form with the finance department within twenty days, with a hearing held fifteen to sixty days later. A person who loses that hearing has twenty days to seek de novo review from the Orange County Superior Court by paying a $25 filing fee, refundable if the court rules in the resident's favor. 010(B).
Violations & Fines
Absent a specific administrative penalty, a first violation is punishable as an infraction with a fine up to $100, rising to $200 for a second offense and $500 for a third within the same twelve months; the city may instead prosecute the underlying misdemeanor, carrying up to a $1,000 fine and six months in county jail. Citations may be appealed to a hearing officer and, after that, to the Orange County Superior Court within twenty days for a $25 fee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is public urination illegal in Buena Park?
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Buena Park
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Public Urination in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Orange County handle public urination.