Pasco, WA Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)
Key Facts
- Offense
- Lewd conduct, PMC 9.25.030(1)(d)
- Where it applies
- Any place observable by the public
- Classification
- Misdemeanor, no warning required
- Maximum penalty
- 90 days jail and/or $1,000 fine
- Exceptions
- Theater/museum performances; nursing (not urination)
Summary
Pasco makes urinating or defecating anywhere other than a washroom or toilet a criminal "lewd act" under PMC 9.25.030 whenever it happens where any member of the public could see it. It is a straight misdemeanor, no permit or warning first, punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
(1) As used in this section a lewd act is: ... (d) Urination or defecation in a place other than a washroom or toilet room. (2) A person is guilty of lewd conduct if he or she intentionally performs any lewd act in a public place or at a place and under circumstance where such act could be observed by any member of the public. (3) This section is not applicable to: (a) Performances in a theater or museum; or (b) The exposure of a female breast while nursing an infant. (4) Lewd conduct is a misdemeanor.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4837, passed May 4, 2026).
Full Breakdown
" A person is guilty of lewd conduct if they intentionally perform any of those acts "in a public place or at a place and under circumstance where such act could be observed by any member of the public," so the offense does not require an actual witness, only that observation was possible. The ordinance carves out only two exceptions, neither of which applies to relieving oneself outdoors: performances staged in a theater or museum, and a female breast exposed while nursing an infant. 080 means the Pasco Municipal Court can impose up to 90 days in the county jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both, for a first offense.
There is no separate civil-infraction track or warning notice built into this section; charging is handled the same as any other misdemeanor prosecuted in Municipal Court, based on a police officer's citation or a filed complaint. 020), Pasco treats public urination and defecation as part of the same public-decency framework rather than as a lesser nuisance offense, which is why the maximum penalty tracks the standard misdemeanor cap rather than a lower infraction fine.
Violations & Fines
A conviction for lewd conduct under PMC 9.25.030 is a misdemeanor. PMC 9.01.080 sets the penalty ceiling for any misdemeanor defined in the code: "imprisonment in the county jail for a maximum term fixed by the court of not more than 90 days, or by a fine in an amount fixed by the court of not more than $1,000, or by both such imprisonment and fine." The Pasco Municipal Court sets the actual sentence within that range case by case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is public urination illegal in Pasco?
What is the penalty for public urination in Pasco?
Does it matter if no one actually saw me?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pasco
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