Margate, FL Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)

Section 33-18 of the Margate Code defines public indecency as a list of acts performed in a public place, and subsection (a)(3) is the one that covers this topic: a person who urinates or defecates in other than a toilet or washroom commits the offense. Subsection (a) makes it unlawful for any person to commit public indecency. The section defines the location element in subsection (b): a public place means any place where the conduct may reasonably be expected to be viewed by others. That test turns on visibility, not ownership, so a sidewalk, a parking lot or a park can qualify and the definition is not limited to city-owned property.

The same subsection lists five other acts, including sexual intercourse, lewd fondling or caress, and exposing the sexual organs. Subsection (c) sets the penalty: any person convicted is deemed guilty of the offense of public indecency and is punished as provided in Section 1-8 of the Code. Section 1-8(a) sets the general penalty at a fine not to exceed $500.00 and a definite jail term not to exceed 60 days, as provided for in section 162.22 of the Florida Statutes. Under Section 1-8(a)(3), each act is a separate violation.

Section 1-8(b) also authorizes persons designated by the city to issue citations under Chapter 162, Part 2 of the Florida Statutes, contestable through the special magistrate procedures of the city, with a $5.00 technology fee added to every citation. The Margate Police Department enforces the section. Section 33-19 makes it unlawful to obstruct or resist a Margate police officer performing his or her official duty, so an argument at the scene can add a second charge. Park restrooms and other toilets and washrooms are the lawful alternative the section points to, and Section 27-2 keeps city parks closed outside sunup to sunset.