Baltimore County, MD Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)

Baltimore County Code § 17-1-111, "Urinating or Defecating in Public," sits in Article 17's Miscellaneous Provisions and Offenses chapter alongside neighboring bans on trespassing, disorderly conduct on another's land, and spray paint vandalism. The rule is a flat prohibition: a person may not urinate or defecate from or on a public street, public alley, or public sidewalk, and the same ban extends to a public building except within facilities the building has actually designated as public rest rooms. The exception is narrow: standing inside a public building is not itself a defense unless the specific space used is a designated restroom.

Anyone convicted under this section is guilty of a misdemeanor, and the court may impose a fine of up to $100, imprisonment of up to 30 days, or both. The section traces back to the 1988 Code § 20-12 and Bill No. 128 of 1991, and it was carried forward unchanged in substance through Bill No. 114-99 in 2004. A closely related but separate rule applies specifically inside county parks: Baltimore County Code § 30-1-201(s)(3) bars a person from urinating or defecating on park property except in a designated facility, as part of the broader park indecent-exposure and conduct rules under Article 30's Recreation and Parks title.

That park-specific ban is enforced by Recreation and Parks staff and Police, while § 17-1-111 is the general county-wide offense enforced anywhere in public regardless of whether the location is county parkland.