Riverside County, CA Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)

Under Riverside County Code Section 12.28.010, it is unlawful within the limits of any park or open-space area belonging to or operated by the county or the Riverside County Regional Park and Open-Space District to "urinate or defecate in other than a permanent or temporary restroom." The same subsection also bars using a restroom, washroom or dressing facility designated for the opposite sex, with an exception for children six years old or younger accompanied by an adult. The ban applies only within the boundaries of a county or district park or open-space area lying in unincorporated territory; it does not create a county-wide public urination law reaching sidewalks, parking lots or private property outside those park boundaries, and it has no effect inside any of the county's 28 incorporated cities, including Riverside, Moreno Valley, Corona, Temecula and Palm Desert, each of which enforces its own municipal code.

Enforcement rests primarily with the district general manager under Section 12.28.030, with the county sheriff's department and other law enforcement agencies authorized to enter public and restricted parts of every county or district park to maintain order and act on violations. Section 12.28.050 requires the district general manager to post signs at park entrances or other appropriate places giving public notice of the Section 12.28.010(B) prohibitions. Section 12.28.070 separately declares any violation of the chapter a public nuisance that the enforcement officer or health officer may abate or enjoin, on top of the criminal penalties in Section 12.28.040.