Frederick, MD Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)
Key Facts
- Fine
- $35 flat, municipal infraction
- Applies to
- streets, alleys, sidewalks, parks, public grounds
- Enacted by
- Ord. No. G-81-16 (1981)
- Classification
- civil infraction, not a crime
- Enforced by
- Frederick Police Department
Summary
City Code § 15-20 makes it unlawful to urinate or defecate on Frederick's streets, alleys, sidewalks, parks, or other public ways or grounds. A violation is a municipal infraction carrying a flat $35 fine rather than a criminal charge, enforced by the Frederick Police Department.
Sec. 15-20. - Urinating on streets, etc. It shall be unlawful for any person to urinate and/or defecate upon the streets, alleys, sidewalks, parks or other public ways or grounds within the city. Violation of this provision shall constitute a municipal infraction punishable by a fine of thirty-five dollars ($35.00).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Land Management Code: Supplement 13 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 112).
Full Breakdown
The provision, adopted by Ordinance No. G-81-16 in 1981, sits in Chapter 15's miscellaneous offenses article alongside related sanitation and public-order rules, such as the bans on bathing in or polluting Carroll Creek (§§ 15-7, 15-8) and the prohibition on committing fornication in a public place (§ 15-18). 1), the city classified public urination and defecation as a lower-tier municipal infraction with a fixed $35 penalty. That civil classification means a person cited under § 15-20 is not arrested or convicted of a crime, and the case is handled through the municipal infraction process rather than criminal court.
Because the statute is written broadly to cover 'streets, alleys, sidewalks, parks or other public ways or grounds,' it applies citywide, including downtown sidewalks, Carroll Creek Park pathways, and municipal parking lots, and does not carve out an exception for emergencies or public restroom shortages.
Violations & Fines
A violation is a municipal infraction, not a misdemeanor, punishable by a flat $35 fine per § 15-20. It is enforced by the Frederick Police Department or a code enforcement officer issuing a citation rather than a criminal charge, and each act of urinating or defecating in a public place is charged separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
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