Champaign, IL Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 23-112
- Adopted
- C.B. No. 84-205, Oct. 16, 1984
- Fine range
- $1 to $750 per offense (§ 1-21)
- Exception
- Designated restroom locations only
- Enforcement
- Champaign Police Department
Summary
Champaign Code § 23-112 makes it illegal to urinate or defecate on any street, alley, sidewalk, parking lot or floor of a public or public-gathering building, unless the location has been officially designated as a restroom. Adopted in 1984, the ban applies City-wide and is enforced by the Champaign Police Department under the general Chapter 1 penalty.
No person shall urinate or defecate on any street, alley, sidewalk, parking lot, floor of any public building or any building where the public gathers, or in any other place commonly open to the public except in such public place that has been designated as a restroom.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 80).
Full Breakdown
Section 23-112 sits in Article VI, Division 1 of Chapter 23 (Offenses Against Public Morals), immediately after the City's public indecency ban (§ 23-111) and before its prostitution and solicitation sections (§§ 23-113, 23-114). " Adopted by Council Bill No. 84-205 on October 16, 1984, the section has not been amended since. Because it carries no fine listed in Table I of Chapter 1, a conviction is punished under the City's general penalty, § 1-21: not less than $1 nor more than $750 per offense, with the court able to substitute one to one hundred hours of public service work.
Champaign Police officers who observe the act, or who respond to a complaint from downtown or campus-area businesses, can issue a citation on the spot; each day or instance is treated as a separate offense under § 1-21(h). The ordinance's placement alongside public indecency and prostitution offenses signals it is enforced as a public-morals matter rather than a health-code violation, meaning it carries the same municipal, non-criminal fine structure as the rest of Chapter 23's Article VI offenses.
Violations & Fines
A § 23-112 citation is punished under the City's general penalty, § 1-21: a fine of $1 to $750 per offense, or a court-ordered one to one hundred hours of public service work in place of a fine. Officers may cite on the spot without a warning requirement, unlike the loitering ordinance, because the act itself, not a refusal to comply, is what's prohibited.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is public urination a felony in Champaign?
Are there exceptions for emergencies?
Does this apply on private property?
Sources & Official References
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