Yorba Linda, CA Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)

Yorba Linda Municipal Code Section 9.08.010, carried forward from the 1970s-era Prior Code Section 21-4, is the City's sole offenses-against-public-decency provision covering bodily functions in public. The text bars urinating or defecating in two settings: on private property in any place or area exposed to public view, and on any public street, alley, sidewalk, park or other public place, with the only exception being a public restroom. Because Chapter 9.08 contains no separate penalty clause of its own, a violation falls under the citywide general penalty at Section 1.12.010, which covers any Code provision that declares conduct unlawful without setting its own fine: a fine up to $1,000, imprisonment up to six months, or both, though the City Attorney has discretion to charge the offense as an infraction instead, carrying a smaller fine of up to $100 for a first offense and $200 for a second within twelve months.

Each day the underlying conduct continues can be charged as a separate offense under Section 1.12.010(C). Enforcement in Yorba Linda runs through the Orange County Sheriff's Department, which the City contracts with for police services, and complaints about behavior in City parks would also route through Parks and Recreation and Community Development code enforcement. The rule sits within Chapter 9.08's narrow scope, distinct from the separate loitering provisions in Chapter 9.04 and the alcohol-in-parking-facilities rule in Chapter 9.24, meaning a citation for public urination stands on its own regardless of whether other nearby conduct is also occurring.