Petaluma, CA Public Conduct: Skateboarding Rules (2026)

010 makes it unlawful to skate, use or ride a skateboard on any public street, bridge, underpass, sidewalk, park, public pedestrian walkway, publicly owned building or publicly owned parking facility in Petaluma unless the rider follows five listed restrictions: riding after sunset and before sunrise requires reflective material; riding on the roadway portion of a street is barred except as far left as practicable and only where no sidewalk or other pedestrian way exists and traffic flow is not impeded; a skateboard may not be attached to another vehicle; riders must yield right-of-way to motor vehicles and pedestrians; and skateboarding is barred entirely inside or over any publicly owned building or parking facility.

020 layers a total ban on top of that inside the defined 'central business district,' an area bounded by named downtown streets running from Washington and Keller Streets through Water Street, Western Avenue, Petaluma Boulevard, and the lettered and numbered streets around the Petaluma River, and inside 13 specifically named shopping centers, including Washington Square (Safeway), Plaza North (Longs) and Town and Country (Albertson's), plus any additional area the city council later designates by resolution on police department recommendation. 030 lets the city extend the ban to any other publicly owned property once it is posted with council-approved signs. 050 separately requires a helmet, knee pads and elbow pads for anyone using a city skate park facility. 72.