Newport News, VA Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)

Section 28-43 is a short, absolute ban: it draws no line for how briefly the act lasts, whether anyone actually saw it, or whether the person believed they were alone. The only carve-out in the text is a public restroom facility; there is no exception for private property that happens to be visible from a street, for a medical emergency, or for intoxication. The ordinance was adopted by Ord. No. 5896-03 and sits in Chapter 28, Offenses, Miscellaneous, alongside the city's other public-order rules such as intoxication in public and disorderly conduct in public places.

Because § 28-43 states its own penalty class, the general default of a Class 1 misdemeanor for unclassified offenses under § 1-11(b) does not apply; instead the fixed Class 4 misdemeanor schedule at § 1-11(a)(4) controls, meaning the case carries a fine only, with no jail exposure, capped at $250 per offense. Newport News Police Department officers issue the citation, and the offense is prosecuted like any other Class 4 misdemeanor. The section applies citywide, including city parks, streets, and other public property, but it has no reach onto the adjoining federal installations at Newport News Shipbuilding or Joint Base Langley-Eustis, where federal or military authority governs instead of the city code.