Portland, ME Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)
Key Facts
- Prohibited conduct
- urinating/defecating on public property, Sec. 17-15(a)
- 1st offense fine
- $100.00 minimum
- 2nd offense fine
- $300.00 minimum
- 3rd+ offense fine
- $500.00 minimum, no cap stated
- Cost-shifting
- city recovers attorneys' fees, Sec. 17-15(b)
- Enacted
- Ord. No. 246-93, 3-22-1993
Summary
Public urination or defecation on any Portland sidewalk, street, public way, public place or public property, or in immediate proximity to one, is flatly barred under Sec. 17-15(a). Fines escalate steeply with each offense: a $100 minimum for a first violation, $300 for a second, and $500 for every offense after that, plus the city's attorneys' fees.
(a) No person in the city shall urinate or defecate upon any sidewalk, street, public way or upon any public place or public property, or in immediate proximity thereto. (b) Whoever violates any of the provisions of this section shall be punished by a minimum fine of one hundred dollars ($100.00) for the first offense; a minimum fine of three hundred dollars ($300.00) for a second offense; and a minimum fine of five hundred dollars ($500.00) for each and every offense thereafter. In any action in which the city prevails, it shall be entitled to attorneys' fees and all costs of prosecution.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 17, Article II, Sec. 17-15 prohibits urinating or defecating on any Portland sidewalk, street, public way, or upon any public place or public property, or in immediate proximity to any of those locations, subsection (a) covers the act on public land directly and the buffer zone immediately around it, closing off the argument that stepping just off a sidewalk avoids the ordinance. 00 for every offense after that, each figure a floor, not a cap, since the section only specifies minimums. The section also shifts costs to violators: in any enforcement action the city wins, it is entitled to recover its attorneys' fees and all costs of prosecution, on top of the fine itself.
The ordinance was enacted by Ord. No. 246-93 on March 22, 1993, and sits under Article II, 'Offenses Against Public Peace,' alongside Portland's disorderly conduct section, Sec. 17-17, which was adopted the same day and carries an identical escalating fine structure.
Violations & Fines
A first offense under Sec. 17-15(b) draws a minimum $100.00 fine; a second draws a minimum $300.00; every offense after that draws a minimum $500.00, with no stated cap. The city also recovers its attorneys' fees and prosecution costs whenever it prevails in an enforcement action.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly does Portland's public urination ordinance cover?
How much is the fine for public urination in Portland?
Does the fine go up for repeat offenders?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Portland
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