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Delaware County, PA Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

Rule
Urinate/defecate only in facilities
Section
§141-3R
Enforcement
County park police, §141-10
Max fine
$300 summary offense
Chapter readopted
2-1-2023, Ord. 2023-2

Summary

Delaware County bars urinating or defecating anywhere in a county park except in the restroom facilities the county provides. The rule is a single sentence inside Chapter 141's list of regulated and prohibited park activities, enforced by county park police the same as every other park conduct rule.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Delaware County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

Urinating or defecating. No person shall urinate or defecate except in facilities provided for such use.

S. Bicycles and nonmotorized vehicles. The County Parks and Recreation Department may establish restrictions on the use of bicycles and nonmotorized vehicles in specific areas of the parks.

T. Designation of nonsmoking areas. The Parks Board may, in its discretion, provide that smoking (including devices such as e-cigarettes and vaping) is prohibited in designated areas of the parks.

U. Additional specific prohibited uses.

(1) All flea markets, car shows, carnivals, fairs, circuses or events of similar nature are not permitted in any Delaware County Park. For purposes of this rule, a fair includes the assembly of amusement rides, games or other attractions.

(2) Lotteries, bingo, games of chance, card games and gambling of any kind.

(3) The display of animals customarily displayed in zoos.

(4) Helicopter rides, bungee jumping.

(5) Use of heavy equipment or machinery by anyone not specifically authorized to operate within the park by the Parks and Recreation Department.

(6) The parking or presence of trailers, mobile homes, motor homes or other similar mobile sleeping facilities.

(7) Boisterous, immoral or indecent conduct.

§ 141-4. Vehicle restrictions.

A.

Full Breakdown

Section 141-3R states plainly that no person shall urinate or defecate except in facilities provided for such use, part of the twenty-one-item list of regulated and prohibited activities in §141-3 that county park police enforce across every Delaware County park. Restroom facilities exist at the county's developed parks, including Rose Tree Park, Glen Providence Park, Upland Park, Smedley Park and Ridley Creek Park; the rule assumes a person has reasonable access to one of those facilities rather than the woods or a parking area. The subsection sits alongside other sanitation-adjacent rules in the same section: §141-3N separately requires anyone controlling an animal in a park to dispose of the animal's feces in a sanitary manner, and §141-8, Pollution and Refuse, covers littering and dumping elsewhere in the chapter.

Chapter 141 was readopted in its entirety on February 1, 2023 by Ord. No. 2023-2, replacing the original 1971 ordinance, and every subsection of §141-3, including this one, applies uniformly across the county park system rather than varying park by park. The rule has no exception for children, emergencies or facility closures written into the text; a person caught violating it faces the same enforcement mechanism as any other Chapter 141 offense, and park hours under §141-1 running only from dawn to dusk further limit when a park visitor would need a facility at all.

Violations & Fines

Public urination or defecation outside a restroom is enforced under §141-10 by county park police officers, who may cite any violation of Chapter 141's rules. Pursuant to 16 P.S. §2510(b), the offense is summary, carrying a fine of up to $300 plus costs of prosecution, and default in payment can add penalties available under other law.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is public urination illegal in Delaware County parks?
Yes. Section 141-3R states no person shall urinate or defecate except in facilities provided for that use, one line among the twenty-one-item list of regulated and prohibited activities that county park police enforce under §141-3 across every county park.
What is the penalty for violating this park rule?
Section 141-10 and 16 P.S. §2510(b) make any Chapter 141 violation a summary offense, including this one, punishable by a fine of up to $300 plus the costs of prosecution, enforced directly by county park police officers.
Are there restrooms at Delaware County parks?
The chapter assumes so: §141-3R requires using facilities provided for urination and defecation, and the county's developed parks, including Rose Tree, Glen Providence, Upland, Smedley and Ridley Creek Parks, maintain restroom buildings that are the intended facilities under the rule.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Delaware County

All Delaware County rules

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