Gilroy, CA Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)

Section 16.37 is a single, direct rule: it is unlawful for any person on any street or in any public place within the city to urinate or defecate, except at a lavatory facility. Unlike Gilroy's skateboarding or sidewalk-vehicle rules, the ban needs no posted sign and applies the moment someone relieves themselves outside a working restroom anywhere in the city's public streets or public places. The section was adopted by Ordinance No. 2001-7 on June 4, 2001, and sits in Chapter 16, Offenses - Miscellaneous, alongside neighboring rules such as § 16.29's obstruction ban and § 16.28's open-container ban, all enforced day to day by the Gilroy Police Department.

Because the code classifies the offense as a misdemeanor rather than an infraction, a violation carries more exposure than Gilroy's tiered infraction schedule in § 1.7, which caps first-time infractions at a $100 fine; a straight misdemeanor charge instead exposes a violator to whatever fine and jail term a court imposes on conviction, since § 16.37 itself sets no dollar cap. The rule gives officers a direct charge to use against public urination or defecation seen in Gilroy's downtown core, along US-101 frontage roads, and around the outlet centers and Gilroy Gardens, without needing to prove obstruction, disorderly conduct, or any other separate offense.