Riverside, CA Public Conduct: Skateboarding Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- RMC § 9.04.290
- Where banned
- Business district sidewalks citywide
- Named corridor
- Main Street Mall, 6th–10th St
- Private property
- Banned only if owner posts sign
- Charge type
- Infraction or misdemeanor, City Attorney's choice
- Adopted
- Ord. 5641 (1988), amended Ord. 7012 (2008)
Summary
Riverside Municipal Code § 9.04.290 makes it unlawful to ride a bicycle, scooter, roller skates, skateboard, or similar contrivance on any sidewalk inside a business district, including the Main Street Mall between Sixth and Tenth Streets. The same prohibition reaches private sidewalks and parking lots in business districts once the owner posts a sign citing this section.
A. It is unlawful for any person to ride upon any bicycle, scooter, roller skate or skates, skateboard or other similar contrivance upon any sidewalk within any business district within the City, or upon the Main Street Mall bordered by Sixth Street on the north and Tenth Street on the south. B. It is unlawful for any person to ride upon any bicycle, scooter, roller skate or skates, skateboard or other similar contrivance upon any private sidewalk, private parking lot or private parking facility within any business district within the City without the direct or implied consent of the owner or person in lawful possession thereof if there is displayed in plain view on the property a sign prohibiting such riding and referring to this Code section.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 33).
Full Breakdown
290 of the Riverside Municipal Code, adopted by Ordinance 5641 in 1988 and amended by Ordinance 7012 in 2008, splits the ban into two parts. Subsection A bars riding a bicycle, scooter, roller skate or skates, skateboard, or other similar contrivance upon any sidewalk within a business district anywhere in the City, and separately bans the same conduct on the Main Street Mall, the pedestrian corridor bordered by Sixth Street on the north and Tenth Street on the south. 290. 04 offenses do. 04 offenses are typically chargeable as either an infraction or a misdemeanor at the City Attorney's discretion, mirroring the enforcement structure Riverside uses for the rest of the chapter's public-conduct offenses.
Skaters and cyclists moving through downtown, the Main Street Mall, or any other commercial corridor should dismount and walk before entering the sidewalk to avoid a citation.
Violations & Fines
Riding a skateboard, bicycle, scooter, or roller skates on a business-district sidewalk or the Main Street Mall violates RMC § 9.04.290(A). Doing the same on a posted private sidewalk or parking lot in a business district violates § 9.04.290(B). Chapter 9.04 offenses are chargeable as an infraction or misdemeanor at the City Attorney's discretion; there is no fixed fine schedule stated in the section itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I skateboard on a Riverside sidewalk downtown?
Does the skateboard ban apply to residential streets?
Can a private business post its own no-skateboarding sign?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Riverside
California rules heatmap·Compare Riverside to another location·View the California public conduct overview
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Skateboarding Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Riverside County handle skateboarding rules.