Richmond, VA Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)

Richmond City Code § 19-239(a) states it is unlawful for any person to knowingly, voluntarily and intentionally urinate or defecate in public or in a public place or in a place open to public view, except in a public restroom facility. The section sits within Article VI, Division 2 of Chapter 19, which covers offenses against public morals alongside obscenity and indecent exposure provisions; § 19-238 separately bans obscene public exposure but expressly protects breastfeeding, and the two sections are enforced independently. Section 19-239(b) sets the penalty directly: conviction is a Class 1 misdemeanor.

00, confinement in jail for not more than 12 months, or both. Richmond Police Department officers enforce the section on patrol, and it is commonly cited in connection with public intoxication or disorderly conduct incidents in the Downtown, Shockoe Bottom, and Fan District entertainment corridors where bars and outdoor events draw large crowds without adequate restroom access.