Rochester Hills, MI Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)

Section 70-117 of the Rochester Hills Code lists urinating in public as item (15) among the acts that constitute disorderly conduct, alongside loitering, cruising, prowling and public intoxication codified in the same division. The prohibition applies anywhere the Code defines as a 'public place': any structure, building, alley, street, house, hall, room, private property or other place to which the general public has access for business, entertainment or other lawful purposes, including sidewalks, parking areas serving a business, and public grounds, areas or parks (Sec.

70-116). The rule reaches conduct on private property too, so long as the public has access to it, which covers store parking lots, sidewalks fronting Main Street businesses and the grounds of city parks along the Paint Creek Trail and Clinton River corridor. Because the section does not set its own fine, a violation falls under the Code's general penalty provision, section 1-16: absent an express civil-infraction designation, code violations are misdemeanors punishable by up to $500 in fines, 90 days in jail, or both, at the sentencing court's discretion.

Section 1-15 additionally makes each day a violation continues a separate offense, so repeated or ongoing conduct can support multiple counts. The Oakland County Sheriff's Office patrols Rochester Hills under contract and is the primary enforcement authority, though any deputy or an ordinance enforcement officer designated by the mayor under section 1-14 may issue an appearance citation. The ordinance traces to the 1976 Code section 7-03.03.15 and was last amended by Ordinance No. 496 on May 4, 2005, which restructured the disorderly conduct division's current numbering.