Gaithersburg, MD Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)

Section 15-7 of the Gaithersburg City Code, adopted by Ordinance No. O-5-95 on June 5, 1995, prohibits urinating or defecating on or about any public place, public way, building, structure or park within the city. The prohibition extends past purely public land: it also covers the area on or about any privately owned retail business establishment or the parking area adjacent to it, so a person cannot avoid the ordinance simply by stepping onto a store's private lot. The only carve-out in the section is for conduct that takes place inside an enclosed restroom or similar facility that is clearly designated to the public for that activity, meaning a portable toilet at a public event, a park restroom or a store bathroom.

Because Section 15-7 sits in Chapter 15, Offenses Miscellaneous, alongside the loitering and disturbing-the-peace provisions, it is enforced the same way those sections are: Section 15-19 makes a violation a misdemeanor punishable as provided in Section 1-7, meaning a fine of up to $500, imprisonment of up to 90 days, or both, at the court's discretion. City police may issue a citation in lieu of an arrest under Section 1-8 rather than take the person into custody on the spot, and each separate act of the offense would be charged individually.