Whittier, CA Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)
Key Facts
- Covered acts
- Urination and defecation
- Location scope
- Any public place or place exposed to public view
- Exception
- Proper toilet or portable toilet
- Origin
- Prior Code § 4260.6
- Code location
- Ch. 9.08, Offenses Against Public Decency
Summary
Whittier makes it unlawful to urinate or defecate anywhere in public view, on any street, ground, building or standing water, unless it happens in a proper toilet or portable toilet. The rule carries forward from the city's pre-1980s prior code and sits in the Offenses Against Public Decency chapter.
No person shall deposit, by means of urination or defecation, any human waste material in any public place or in any place open to the public or exposed to public view or upon the surface of the ground or upon any premises, lot or in any building, basement or in any public street, or into any standing water, stream or excavation or public place other than a proper toilet or portable toilet. For the purposes of this section, "human waste material" is defined as human urine discharged from the body or human fecal material defecated from the rectum.
Full Breakdown
Section 9.08.010, in Chapter 9.08 (Offenses Against Public Decency) of Title 9, Public Peace, Morals and Welfare, bars depositing human waste material, defined as urine discharged from the body or fecal material from the rectum, in any public place or place open or exposed to public view. The prohibition reaches beyond streets and sidewalks: it covers the surface of the ground, private premises, lots, buildings, basements, and any standing water, stream or excavation, wherever the deposit is not made in a proper toilet or portable toilet. The section traces to Prior Code Section 4260.6, meaning Whittier has carried this exact public-decency rule forward through at least one prior codification. Because the section sits in the general public-peace title rather than a specialized health chapter, Whittier police officers cite it directly rather than routing enforcement through a separate health department process.
Violations & Fines
A violation of Section 9.08.010 is enforced as a criminal offense under the general penalty scheme in Chapter 1.08 of the Whittier Municipal Code, which applies to Title 9 offenses that do not set out their own separate penalty section. Officers can issue a citation on personal observation of the act; the ordinance's broad location language, covering both public places and private property exposed to public view, means the violation can be charged whether the act happens on a sidewalk, in a parking lot, or on private land visible from a public right of way.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is public urination illegal in Whittier?
Does Whittier's public decency rule only apply to city streets?
Is there any exception under Whittier's public urination rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Whittier
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