Petaluma, CA Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- PMC § 10.16.020
- Minimum age covered
- Over 10 years old
- Default misdemeanor fine
- Up to $1,000
- Default jail term
- Up to 6 months
- Infraction fine (1st offense)
- Up to $100
- Adopted
- Ordinance 1475 NCS, 1981
Summary
Petaluma Municipal Code section 10.16.020 makes it unlawful for anyone over the age of ten to willfully urinate or defecate in a public place or anywhere exposed to public view, and separately bans exposing oneself for that purpose in a way that displays the genitals, buttocks or anal region to public view.
A. It is unlawful for any person over the age of ten years to wilfully urinate or defecate in a public place or in a place exposed to public view. B. It is unlawful for any person over the age of ten years to wilfully expose his person or private parts for the purpose of urination or defecation in a public place or in a place exposed to public view in such a manner that the genitals, vulva, pubis, pubic symphysis, pubic hair, buttocks, natal cleft, perineum, anus, anal region or pubic hair region is exposed to public view.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2931 NCS, passed July 6, 2026).
Full Breakdown
16, "Sexual Material," among the city's offenses against public decency, and covers both the act of relieving oneself in public and the accompanying exposure. 020(A), (B)). The section was added by Ordinance 1475 NCS in 1981 and has not been amended since. 020: unless a provision is expressly labeled an infraction, any violation of the Municipal Code is a misdemeanor, and a violation may instead be charged as an infraction at the discretion of the prosecuting attorney or other enforcing authority. 5 can issue a citation for a violation observed in a public place, a sidewalk, park or any other spot exposed to public view, including areas near downtown streets and the Petaluma River corridor where enforcement calls concentrate on weekend nights.
Violations & Fines
Because section 10.16.020 carries no penalty clause of its own, a violation defaults to the general penalty schedule in section 1.12.020: a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment in county jail for up to six months, or both, unless the citing officer or city attorney elects to charge it as an infraction, which is capped at $100 for a first offense and $200 for a second offense within a year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is public urination illegal in Petaluma?
Does the ban cover exposing yourself in order to urinate?
What is the penalty for a first violation?
Does the law apply to young children?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Petaluma
California rules heatmap·Compare Petaluma to another location·View the California public conduct overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Public Urination in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Sonoma County handle public urination.