Chino Hills, CA Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)
Key Facts
- Banned in parks
- Urinating, defecating, washing dishes, dumping waste
- Exception
- Garbage in provided waste receptacles
- Also banned
- Same act on open space trails (§12.32.090)
- Park default penalty
- Infraction (§12.40.280)
- Open space default penalty
- Misdemeanor (§12.32.260)
Summary
Chino Hills bars anyone from urinating, defecating, washing dishes, or dumping waste liquids, garbage, or refuse in any city park or park facility, reserving trash disposal to the waste receptacles the City provides, under Municipal Code Section 12.40.160. The same ban repeats for the City-Owned Open Space under Section 12.32.090.
No person shall urinate, defecate, wash dishes, or dispose of items, including but not limited to salt water, biohazardous materials, or other waste liquids, garbage, cans, bottles, papers, or other refuse, in any park or park facility, except that garbage may be disposed of in the waste receptacles provided for that purpose.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 61).
Full Breakdown
160 flatly bars urinating, defecating, washing dishes, or disposing of items, including salt water, biohazardous materials, other waste liquids, garbage, cans, bottles, papers, or other refuse, in any park or park facility, with the single carve-out that garbage may go into the waste receptacles the City provides for that purpose. 160 covers, so the ban follows a visitor whether they are on a park lawn or an open space trail. Both sections sit in chapters built almost entirely around unlawful acts within City recreational land, alongside bans on swimming or bathing in park water features, glass containers, and open fires outside designated fireplaces or approved barbecues.
The two chapters diverge on how seriously they treat a violation: the parks chapter defaults to an infraction while the open space chapter defaults to a misdemeanor, so the same act of public urination carries a harsher default penalty on an open space trail than inside a park.
Violations & Fines
Section 12.40.280 defaults park-chapter violations, including Section 12.40.160's waste and refuse ban, to an infraction, fined on the escalating ladder in Section 1.36.020(B): up to $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second, and $500 for a third within a year. The same act on the open space trails instead defaults to a misdemeanor under Section 12.32.260, exposing a violator to the harsher general penalty of up to $1,000 and six months in jail under Section 1.36.020(A).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is public urination illegal in Chino Hills parks?
Does the same ban apply on the open space trails?
What is the penalty for public urination in a Chino Hills park?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chino Hills
California rules heatmap·Compare Chino Hills to another location·View the California public conduct overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Public Urination in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle public urination.