Redding, CA Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)
Key Facts
- Covers
- Public/private roads, exposed private property
- Medical exemption
- Verified medical condition exempts enforcement
- Adopted
- Ord. 2337 § 2, 2004
- Default penalty
- Misdemeanor, up to $1,000 fine, § 1.12.020
Summary
It is unlawful in Redding to urinate or defecate on any public or private road, exposed private property, or public property not designated for that purpose, under RMC § 9.04.060, though a person with a verified medical condition is expressly exempt from enforcement.
A.It is unlawful for any person to deposit, or cause to be deposited, any human urine or feces upon any public or private highway or road, including any portion of the right-of-way thereof, or in or upon any public property other than property designated or set aside for that purpose, or in or upon any private property where the public is admitted by easement, license or other permission, or upon any private property which is exposed to public view.B.Notwithstanding subsection A of this section, persons who violate this section due to one or more verified medical conditions shall be exempt from the enforcement of this section.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 48).
Full Breakdown
060(A), adopted by Ordinance 2337 in 2004, bars depositing human urine or feces upon any public or private highway or road, including its right-of-way, upon public property other than a spot set aside for that purpose, upon private property the public may enter under an easement, license, or other permission, or upon private property exposed to public view. Subsection (B) carves out a specific defense: a person who violates the section because of one or more verified medical conditions is exempt from enforcement, so a documented medical issue is a recognized exception rather than merely a mitigating factor at sentencing.
010. 12, which makes any code violation a misdemeanor by default unless the offense is classified an infraction by state law or the city attorney reduces the charge.
Violations & Fines
Depositing urine or feces on a public or private road, on public property not set aside for that purpose, or on exposed or publicly accessible private property violates § 9.04.060(A), unless the person qualifies for the verified-medical-condition exemption in § 9.04.060(B). Because Chapter 9.04 sets no special fine, the general penalty in § 1.12.020 applies: a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and six months in county jail, unless reduced to an infraction with escalating fines of $100, $200, or $500.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is public urination illegal in Redding?
Is there any exception for a medical condition?
What's the penalty for violating the urination and defecation ban?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Redding
California rules heatmap·Compare Redding to another location·View the California public conduct overview
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