Santa Maria, CA Public Conduct: Skateboarding Rules (2026)

03 draws its authority straight from the California Vehicle Code and bars anyone on roller skates, or riding a coaster, skateboard, toy vehicle or similar device, from going on any roadway, on a public sidewalk that serves a business or business district, or on public or certain private parking facilities within the City. A second layer covers privately owned sidewalks and walkways that are generally open to the public, shopping centers, professional offices, public buildings, malls, movie theaters, restaurants, hotels, motels, retail stores and offices, but only if the property is "properly posted" with the required signage.

The code prescribes the exact sign wording: "ROLLER SKATES, SKATEBOARDS AND OTHER SIMILAR VEHICLES PROHIBITED. C. 03," posted at every entrance, conspicuously and clearly visible. A separate police-power clause extends the same posted-property rule to any public property. Inside a City skateboard park, or a skateboard park with temporary ramps, the rule flips from prohibition to protective gear: riders must wear a helmet, elbow pads and knee pads, and the same gear mandate applies to in-line skaters using the park. The section traces back to Prior Code Section 16-35 and has been amended three times, in 1988, 2002 and 2003, each time tightening the posted-property and skate-park gear requirements rather than loosening the base roadway and business-sidewalk ban.