Clackamas County, OR Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)
Key Facts
- Prohibited
- Urinating/defecating in public where restrooms exist
- Fine
- $140 under §6.06.050(L)(4)
- RV waste
- Must empty tanks only at designated dump stations
- Trash
- Must go in designated receptacles, not dumped
- Enforcement
- Parks staff, camp hosts, peace officers cite violators
Summary
Clackamas County bans urinating or defecating in public anywhere in a county park area that has restroom facilities. The rule sits in the same waste-disposal subsection that requires RV holding tanks to be emptied only at designated dump stations, and violators face a $140 citation under the parks fee schedule.
L. Waste Disposal
1. All bottles, cans, ashes, waste, paper, garbage, sewage, and other rubbish or refuse shall be left only in receptacles designated for that purpose.
2. No person shall bring into a park area any trash, refuse, garbage, litter, waste material, or vehicles for the purpose of disposing them there.
3. No person shall use kitchen or toilet facilities in a camping vehicle in the park unless the person makes provision for holding sewage and other waste materials in watertight and sanitary containers. Such containers shall not be emptied in the park except at an officially designated dump station.
4. No person shall urinate or defecate in public in any park area where restroom facilities are provided.
Full Breakdown
050(L) covers waste disposal across Clackamas County's parks, forests and recreation areas, and subsection (L)(4) states plainly that no person shall urinate or defecate in public in any park area where restroom facilities are provided. The rule is paired with three related sanitation duties in the same subsection: (L)(1) requires that all bottles, cans, ashes, waste, paper, garbage, sewage and other rubbish be left only in designated receptacles; (L)(2) bars bringing outside trash or garbage into a park for the purpose of dumping it there; and (L)(3) requires anyone using a camping vehicle's kitchen or toilet facilities to hold sewage and wastewater in watertight, sanitary containers and empty them only at an officially designated dump station, never elsewhere in the park.
Together the four provisions treat public urination the same as illegal dumping and improper RV waste disposal: sanitation offenses tied to protecting the park's water sources, campgrounds and day-use areas. 060(A) to anyone who violates the rule, whether the restroom was fifty feet away or on the other side of the park.
Violations & Fines
Public urination or defecation where restroom facilities exist draws a $140 citation under § 6.06.050(L)(4). Improperly emptying an RV's sewage or wastewater tank anywhere other than a designated dump station is treated more seriously under (L)(3), and dumping outside trash or garbage in a park under (L)(2) carries the county's higher $367 fine tier. All of these citations double if unpaid or uncontested after twenty days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is public urination illegal at Clackamas County parks?
Can I dump my RV's holding tank at my campsite?
Where am I supposed to put my trash at the park?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Clackamas County
Compare Clackamas County to another location·View the Oregon public conduct overview
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