Shoreline, WA Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)

Section 9.10.640 of the Shoreline Municipal Code targets anyone who intentionally urinates or defecates in a public place other than a washroom or toilet room, or who does so anywhere else under circumstances where the act could be observed by a member of the public. The ordinance draws a firm line between a first-time civil infraction and repeat criminal conduct: a first offense is punishable only by a civil fine capped at $250, keeping it out of criminal court, but the code escalates immediately on repeat conduct, converting the second and every later offense into a misdemeanor carrying the possibility of jail time and a criminal record.

The provision traces to Ordinance 73 § 64, adopted in 1996 as part of Shoreline's original criminal code (Title 9.10), which the city built largely by adopting Revised Code of Washington and King County Code provisions by reference, but § 9.10.640 is one of the sections Shoreline wrote and enacted directly rather than incorporating from county or state law. Because Shoreline contracts its police services from the King County Sheriff's Office, deputies patrolling the city enforce this section, and citations are processed through the King County District Court's Shoreline division.

The rule sits within the same chapter as neighboring public-order provisions covering trespass, prowling and vehicles resembling police cars, reflecting the code's broader focus on visible public-space conduct along commercial corridors such as Aurora Avenue North and near Shoreline Community College.