Greenville, NC Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)

Section 12-1-7 makes it unlawful for anyone to urinate or defecate on a public place, sidewalk, street, alleyway or right-of-way, inside a public building outside a designated water closet or toilet facility, or on private property. The only defense is written permission from the property owner or the person in lawful possession, and it applies specifically to the private-property branch of the offense; there is no equivalent defense for public property. Enforcement runs through the Greenville Police Department. A first violation carries a $100 civil citation; a second within 365 days rises to $250, and a third or later violation within that same 365-day window costs $500.

S. S. 160A-175, punishable by a fine of $100 to $500. S. S. 18C-134, pursue equitable remedies, or file a civil action to collect it like any other debt. Appeals of a civil penalty go through the process set out in Part II, Title 1, Chapter 1, Section 20 of the City Code. Each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense, so a continuing violation can multiply the citations rather than being treated as one ongoing infraction.