Fort Lauderdale, FL Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)
Key Facts
- Citation
- Fort Lauderdale Code § 16-75
- Covers
- public urination, defecation and indecent exposure
- Public place
- anywhere conduct may be viewed by others
- Penalty
- up to $500 fine or 60 days jail
- State cross-reference
- Fla. Stat. § 800.03 indecent exposure
Summary
Fort Lauderdale folds public urination and defecation into its public indecency law: section 16-75 makes it a crime to urinate or defecate anywhere other than a toilet or washroom in a public place, or to dump waste outside a sanitary, screened receptacle. The same section also bans public sex acts and indecent exposure.
(a)Offense. It shall be unlawful for any person to commit public indecency. A person commits public indecency when he or she performs any of the following acts in a public place:(1)An act of sexual intercourse; or(2)A lewd fondling or caress of the body of any person of either sex; or(3)Exposes or exhibits his or her sexual organs; or(4)Exposes or exhibits post-pubescent female breasts; or(5)Urinates or defecates in other than a toilet or washroom; or(6)Throws, dumps, discards, places, deposits, or otherwise disposes of urine or feces, unless such disposal is made into a receptacle that has been specifically provided for that purpose and the receptacle stores or disposes of the wastes in a sanitary manner, and the receptacle is enclosed from the view of the general public.(b)Definitions. "Public place," for purposes of this section, means any place where conduct may reasonably be expected to be viewed by others.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 67 Update 1 | Unified Land Development Code: Supplement 58 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Section 16-75, last amended by Ordinance No. C-14-37 in September 2014, defines public indecency broadly and folds public urination and defecation into the same offense as indecent exposure. Under subsection (a), a person commits the offense by performing any of six acts in a public place: sexual intercourse, lewd fondling, exposing sexual organs, exposing post-pubescent female breasts, urinating or defecating anywhere other than a toilet or washroom, or dumping, discarding or disposing of urine or feces anywhere except into a receptacle built for that purpose that stores waste sanitarily and is screened from public view.
Subsection (b) defines public place broadly as any place where the conduct may reasonably be expected to be viewed by others, reaching alleys, parking lots, and a yard visible from the street or a neighbor's window. Because the ordinance groups urination and defecation with the same six-act indecency list as public sex acts and exposure, a conviction carries the same stigma and penalty structure. 03, so this conduct can also expose a violator to a separate state charge. Enforcement follows a citizen complaint or an officer's direct observation, common along the beach corridor and downtown entertainment district.
Violations & Fines
Violating section 16-75 is punished under the Code's general penalty section, 1-6: a fine up to $500, up to 60 days in jail, or both, with the court free to add probation, restitution or up to 250 hours of community service. The same conduct, when it involves urination or defecation, is also chargeable under Florida's indecent exposure statute, F.S. § 800.03.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is public urination illegal in Fort Lauderdale?
What's the penalty for public urination in Fort Lauderdale?
Does the law only apply to sex acts?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fort Lauderdale
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Fort Lauderdale to another location·View the Florida public conduct overview
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Public Urination in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Broward County handle public urination.