Hampton, VA Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)
Key Facts
- Penalty
- Class 4 misdemeanor
- Covered locations
- streets, alleys, sidewalks, parks
- Exception
- public restroom facilities
- Adopted / amended
- 1997, amended 1999
Summary
Urinating or defecating in public view anywhere in Hampton, Virginia, on streets, alleys, sidewalks or in parks, is a Class 4 misdemeanor unless it happens inside a public restroom facility.
Any person who urinates or defecates in public or in a place open to public view, including any street, alley, sidewalk or park, except in public restroom facilities, shall be guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor.
(Ord. No. 1193, 9-10-97; Ord. No. 1240, 2-24-99; Ord. No. 1466, 3-28-07)
State Law reference— Indecent exposure, Code of Virginia, § 18.2-387; obscene sexual display, Code of Virginia, § 18.2-387.1
Secs. 24-50. - Reserved. Editor's note— Ord. No. 17-0002, adopted March 8, 2017, repealed § 24-50, which pertained to aggressive soliciting and derived from Ord. No. 1486, adopted August 15, 2007.
Secs. 24-51—24-110. - Reserved.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 31 | Zoning: Supplement 20).
Full Breakdown
Hampton City Code § 24-49 makes it a Class 4 misdemeanor to urinate or defecate in public or in a place open to public view anywhere in the city, expressly naming streets, alleys, sidewalks and parks, with the sole carve-out being public restroom facilities. The section was adopted in 1997 and last amended in 1999. Because Hampton is an independent city with no surrounding county government, this local ordinance is the only city-level layer; Virginia's separate indecent-exposure and obscene-display statutes apply in parallel to more serious conduct.
Violations & Fines
Violating § 24-49 is a Class 4 misdemeanor, the code's lowest-tier criminal offense, and police may cite anyone urinating or defecating in public view outside a restroom facility.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is public urination illegal in Hampton, Virginia?
Are there any exceptions to the ban?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hampton
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