Redlands, CA Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)
Key Facts
- Adopted
- Ord. 2683 (2007)
- Scope
- Any location not enclosed from public view
- Medical defense
- Verified medical condition, proof required
- Default penalty
- Misdemeanor, up to $1,000 fine or 6 months jail
- Chapter
- 9.16, Offenses Against Public Decency
Summary
Redlands makes it a crime to urinate or defecate in public under City Code section 9.16.040, adopted by Ordinance 2683 in 2007. The law covers any location outside a restroom, bathroom or other structure enclosed from public view, and it provides a defense for a documented medical condition affecting bladder or bowel control.
A. It is unlawful for any person to urinate or defecate in public, other than when using a toilet, urinal or commode located in a restroom, bathroom or other structure enclosed from public view. B. Proof of a verified medical condition that causes an individual to lack control of the bodily functions that control urination or defecation is a defense to a violation of this section.
Full Breakdown
16 (Offenses Against Public Decency) alongside the city's public-drinking ban. " That wording sweeps in streets, sidewalks, alleys, parking lots, parks and any other outdoor or publicly visible location, not just a specific list of places, so the test is whether the act is visible from public view rather than whether it occurs on public or private property. Subsection B builds in a defense: "proof of a verified medical condition that causes an individual to lack control of the bodily functions that control urination or defecation is a defense to a violation of this section," meaning a person cited under the ordinance can raise incontinence or a similar diagnosed condition to avoid conviction, though the code places the burden of proof on the person raising it rather than on the city to disprove it.
The chapter was adopted in 2007 by Ordinance 2683, replacing older, narrower "offenses against public decency" provisions that trace to the city's prior code sections 50000 through 51000, several of which (drinking on public streets, visiting places of prostitution) remain in the same chapter today.
Violations & Fines
Section 9.16.040 carries no separate penalty clause, so a violation defaults to the code's general penalty under sections 1.20.010 and 1.20.020: a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in San Bernardino County jail or a fine of up to $1,000, unless the city attorney elects to charge the offense as an infraction, which caps the fine at $100 for a first violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Redlands
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Public Urination in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle public urination.