Puyallup, WA Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- PMC § 9A.03.003(5)
- Classification
- Misdemeanor (disorderly conduct)
- Exception
- Inside a washroom or toilet room
- Also covered
- Spitting at or toward another person
- Last amended
- Ordinance 2927, 2009
Summary
Puyallup makes it a criminal misdemeanor to urinate or defecate in public. The disorderly conduct chapter reaches any act that could be observed by a member of the public and happens somewhere other than a washroom or toilet room, and it defines "public place" broadly enough to cover sidewalks, alleys, parks, parking lots and trails citywide.
The following persons are declared to be disorderly persons, a misdemeanor: ... (5) Any person who intentionally urinates or defecates in a public place, other than a washroom or toilet room, under circumstances where such act could be observed by any member of the public, or expectorates at or towards another person. As used in this chapter, "public place" means an area generally visible to public view and includes alleys, bridges, buildings, driveways, parking lots, parks, plazas, sidewalks, trails, and streets open to the general public, including those that serve food or drink or provide entertainment, and the doorways and entrances to public buildings and the grounds enclosing them;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4985225; v6 updated 2026-07-21; through 07-21-2026).
Full Breakdown
03, Disorderly Conduct, lists public urination and defecation among the acts that make a person a "disorderly person," which the chapter's opening sentence classifies as a misdemeanor. " The same subsection also bans expectorating (spitting) at or toward another person. The ordinance defines "public place" expansively for purposes of the whole chapter: it includes alleys, bridges, buildings, driveways, parking lots, parks, plazas, sidewalks, trails and streets open to the general public, plus establishments that serve food or drink or provide entertainment, and the doorways and entrances to public buildings and the grounds around them.
That definition means the ban is not limited to streets and parks; it follows a person into the entryway of a restaurant, bar or downtown business as long as the act is publicly observable. 003. The current text traces to Ordinance 2105 in 1986 and was last amended by Ordinance 2927 in 2009. Because the offense sits inside Title 9A, the city's local criminal code, it is enforced in Puyallup Municipal Court rather than through a civil infraction ticket.
Violations & Fines
A violation of PMC § 9A.03.003(5) is charged as disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor prosecuted in Puyallup Municipal Court. The statute does not carve out an exception for intoxication or emergency; the only exemption is urinating or defecating inside a washroom or toilet room, or where the act could not be observed by the public. Spitting at or toward another person is charged under the same subsection and carries the same misdemeanor classification.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is public urination illegal everywhere in Puyallup, or just in parks?
What if no one actually saw it happen?
Does using a portable toilet or restroom count as an exception?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Puyallup
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Public Urination in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle public urination.