Newport Beach, CA Public Conduct: Skateboarding Rules (2026)

Chapter 12.57 defines 'skateboard' broadly in § 12.57.010(A) to include wheeled objects, coasters, scooters, toys, and similar human-powered conveyances not classified as bicycles elsewhere in the Code. Section 12.57.020 automatically prohibits skateboarding on public streets, sidewalks, parking lots, and other public property with a grade of six percent or more that the City Council declares hazardous by resolution, and separately lets the Council extend the ban by resolution to flatter areas when needed to protect pedestrian, motorist, or skater safety. Section 12.57.022 imposes a flat, no-exceptions ban on operating or riding a skateboard in or upon any public pier in the City.

The City Manager is authorized under § 12.57.030 to post or erect signs marking exactly where skateboarding and rollerskating are prohibited, and § 12.57.027 lets the Council restrict rollerskating to specific hours and locations by resolution as well. Because the base rule in § 12.57.020 depends on a City Council resolution designating a specific street, sidewalk, or lot as prohibited, enforcement in practice tracks posted signage rather than a blanket citywide skateboarding ban outside the pier. Any violation of Chapter 12.57, including riding on the pier or on a resolution-designated street or sidewalk, is unlawful and punishable as an infraction under § 12.57.040, falling back to the general fine schedule in § 1.04.010 where no specific amount is set.