Laredo, TX Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)

Adopted in 1998 by Ord. No. 98-O-215, Sec. 21-3 targets acts committed intentionally, meaning a person must know their conduct could be observed by a member of the public rather than acting inadvertently in a genuinely private moment. The section defines 'public place' broadly: streets, sidewalks, bridges, alleys, plazas, parks, driveways, parking lots, any automobile whether moving or stationary, buildings open to the general public including restaurants and entertainment venues, and the doorways, entrances and grounds surrounding buildings or dwellings. A washroom or toilet room is the only carved-out exception, so urinating behind a parked car, in an alley, or against a building wall in view of pedestrians all fall within the ban.

Sec. 21-3 sits in Chapter 21, Article I, 'In General,' alongside other public-order offenses such as the mask-wearing restriction and the bill-posting prohibition, and it carries no chapter-specific penalty of its own. Because no fine amount is written into the section, the general penalty provision of Sec. 00, and each continuing violation on a separate occasion is a separate offense. Laredo police officers issue citations under this section, and enforcement is typically driven by a citizen complaint or an officer directly observing the conduct in a public place, since the offense requires the actor's intent and the reasonable possibility that a member of the public could see it.