Long Beach, CA Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)
Key Facts
- Ordinance
- LBMC § 9.25.010, "Public Excretion"
- Applies to
- any "public place" per § 9.02.090
- Exception
- regularly provided toilet facilities
- Charge level
- misdemeanor (or infraction, prosecutor's discretion)
- Max penalty
- $1,000 fine and/or 6 months jail (§1.32.010)
- Also a
- listed public-nuisance factor (§9.37)
Summary
Long Beach makes it a misdemeanor to urinate or defecate in any public place other than a regularly provided toilet facility. Municipal Code § 9.25.010, the City's stand-alone "Public Excretion" chapter, defines the offense using the code's broad definition of "public place" in § 9.02.090.
No person shall urinate or defecate in or at any "public place" as defined in Section 9.02.090 except at regularly provided toilet facilities. Violation hereof shall be a misdemeanor.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 52 Update 1 | City Charter: Supplement 5).
Full Breakdown
25, titled Public Excretion, consists of a single operative section. 090 except at regularly provided toilet facilities. 010, which caps a misdemeanor conviction at a $1,000 fine, six months in the city or county jail, or both, though the City Prosecutor has discretion to instead charge it as an infraction. 030.
Violations & Fines
A violation of § 9.25.010 is charged as a misdemeanor, carrying up to a $1,000 fine and/or up to six months in jail under the citywide general penalty, § 1.32.010, unless the City Prosecutor elects to charge it as an infraction instead, which caps the fine at $1,000 with no jail exposure. Enforcement is by Long Beach Police Department citation or arrest at the location of the offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is public urination actually a crime in Long Beach, not just a fine?
What counts as a "public place" for this ordinance?
Is there an exception if no restroom is nearby?
What's the maximum penalty?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Long Beach
California rules heatmap·Compare Long Beach to another location·View the California public conduct overview
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Public Urination in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle public urination.