Public Conduct in Virginia (2026)

In York County, Virginia, begging, soliciting and hitchhiking are flatly banned inside county public areas under County…

Charlottesville's solicitation ordinance does not ban panhandling outright, but City Code § 28-31 makes it a Class 3…

Frederick County makes it a traffic infraction to beg or solicit money or other things of value in a street, highway or…

Lynchburg bars aggressive panhandling citywide, panhandling within 15 feet of an ATM, panhandling from vehicles in…

Sec. 24-262 makes aggressive panhandling a Class 1 misdemeanor: following and repeating a money request after it's been…

Richmond bans aggressive panhandling in any public place, defined as touching someone without consent, blocking their…

Charlottesville makes it a Class 4 misdemeanor to urinate or defecate on any public street, road, alley, sidewalk…

Urinating or defecating anywhere in public view in Chesapeake, including any street, alley, sidewalk or park, is a…

Urinating or defecating in public view anywhere in Hampton, Virginia, on streets, alleys, sidewalks or in parks, is a…

Urinating or defecating anywhere in public in unincorporated Prince William County, on the ground, in a street, in…

Spotsylvania County makes it a Class 2 misdemeanor to urinate or defecate in public, or in any place open to public…

Newport News makes it a Class 4 misdemeanor to urinate or defecate in public or in any place open to public view…

Roanoke makes it a Class 4 misdemeanor to urinate or defecate on any sidewalk, street, or public place, or anywhere…

Virginia Beach makes it a Class 4 misdemeanor to urinate or defecate in public or anywhere open to public view, unless…

Albemarle County makes it a crime to urinate or defecate in public view anywhere in the county outside Charlottesville…

Alexandria treats urinating or defecating in a public place, or anywhere exposed to public view, as disorderly conduct…

Arlington County makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor to urinate or defecate on any street, alley, sidewalk, park, or other…

In Hanover County outside the Town of Ashland, it is a class 1 misdemeanor to urinate or defecate on any street, alley…

Lynchburg makes it a class 4 misdemeanor to urinate or defecate in public or in any place open to public view, unless…

Norfolk makes it a Class 3 misdemeanor to urinate or defecate on any public street, alley, sidewalk, park, beach, or…

It is unlawful in Portsmouth to urinate or defecate on any public street, alley, sidewalk, park or other public place…

Richmond makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor to knowingly, voluntarily and intentionally urinate or defecate in public, in a…

Roanoke County makes it a crime to urinate or defecate on a sidewalk, street or any public place, or anywhere other…

Sec. 17-38 of the York County, Virginia code bans urinating or defecating anywhere in a public area except at…

In the City of Charlottesville, Virginia, City Code § 15-246 bans riding a skateboard, scooter, rollerskates or…

Riding a skateboard, moped, bicycle or other micromobility device anywhere in Alexandria's Market Square is unlawful…

Chesapeake keeps skateboards, roller skates and similar wheeled toys off any street or highway posted above 25 miles…

Norfolk bans skateboards and roller skates outright in city parks and on pedestrian malls under §§ 30-40 and 31-19, and…

Portsmouth bans skateboards, scooters and similar wheeled toys on the Elizabeth River seawall and the adjacent Portside…

City Code § 30-13.1(c) bars anyone 15 or older from using a Roanoke sidewalk for roller skating, ice skating…

Virginia Beach bars skateboards and motorized skateboards from every Resort Area sidewalk at any time under City Code §…

Arlington County treats motorized skateboards as vehicles under County Code § 14.2-65, letting riders use most…

In unincorporated Fauquier County, skateboards are grouped with bicycles and roller skates as 'self-propelled vehicles'…

James City County limits skateboarding in county parks and recreation facilities to areas the director specifically…

Loudoun County bans skateboarding, in-line skating, and any other recreational activity in County-owned and school…

Newport News lets skateboarders ride only in park areas the director of parks and recreation has designated for the…

Prince William County confines plain skateboarding and similar wheeled play to sidewalks, banning it from the roadway…

Skateboards may use Hampton sidewalks within public rights-of-way if riders yield to pedestrians and ride single file…

Lynchburg bans "roller skates, toys or other devices on wheels or runners," a category that covers skateboards, from…

Richmond bans skateboarding on the premises of the main branch of the public library, City Hall, Canal Walk and…

In York County, Virginia, Sec. 17-21 of the county code bans roller skates, skateboards and roller blades on outdoor…

Fairfax County's Noise Ordinance makes it a violation for any person, motor vehicle, or instrument to permit, operate…

Hampton bars noise from gatherings of two or more people between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. that's audible in a neighbor's home…

Henrico County treats any gathering of ten or more people as a code violation once it turns audible past curfew…

Norfolk treats a loud gathering of two or more people between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. as a per se noise violation…

A gathering of ten or more people that produces noise plainly audible in a neighbor's home or fifty feet away between…

Arlington County makes it a misdemeanor to loiter in a public place in a way that blocks pedestrian or vehicle traffic…

Hampton bars pedestrians from sitting, standing, or lingering on the Mercury Boulevard right-of-way between Big Bethel…

Lynchburg's obstruction ordinance defines loitering as standing, remaining, parking or congregating in a public place…

Loitering itself isn't automatically illegal in Prince William County: Sec. 16-16 only kicks in once a person blocks…

Alexandria makes it unlawful to stand, assemble or loiter on a sidewalk, street or public way so as to block passage…

Chesapeake makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor to unreasonably obstruct sidewalks, streets or other public places and then…

Fairfax County's loitering ordinance, County Code § 5-1-2, does not punish simply hanging around. It targets loitering…

Hanover County defines loitering broadly, remaining idle, lingering, or 'hanging around' in one spot, and makes it…

Henrico County bans loitering that blocks pedestrians or vehicles, or that threatens harm to a person or to property…

Loudoun County bans loitering in public places, or places open to the public, that interferes with pedestrian or…

Loitering or needlessly remaining on Newport News streets and sidewalks that blocks pedestrian or vehicle traffic is…

Norfolk makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor to loiter or prowl in a place, time, or manner unusual for law-abiding people…

Portsmouth bans unreasonably obstructing sidewalks or public plazas, sleeping or lying on sidewalks and benches, and…

Richmond bans loitering that blocks sidewalks, entrances or streets, or that is aimed at engaging drivers stopped in…

Stafford County bans loitering in a public place, or a place open to the public, in a way that blocks traffic…

Blocking a public place or private property open to the public and refusing to move on when told to is a Class 1…

York County makes it unlawful to loiter in or around any public place, whether or not the spot sits on private land…

James City County bars loitering in the restrooms of its public parks and recreation facilities under section 16-9…

Newport News authorizes its parks and recreation director, with the city manager's sign-off, to prohibit or restrict…

Fauquier County bans smoking in any part of a county park posted as a No Smoking area by the director of parks and…

Norfolk bans smoking inside every restaurant, but the law carves out a genuine outdoor exception: a patio, deck or…

Roanoke designates non-smoking areas inside the outdoor amphitheater at Elmwood Park under state authority in Va. Code…

Alexandria does not ban smoking in parks or on sidewalks, but City Code Sec. 11-10-3.1(d) requires every restaurant…

Smoking is unlawful in any bus shelter owned by Fairfax County under Code § 44-1-2.1, the county's only outdoor smoking…

Portsmouth's parks code, Sec. 25-111, bars smoking anywhere in a city park where the parks director has posted a…

In York County, Virginia, Sec. 17-23(c) bans tossing a lit cigarette, cigar, pipe heel or match into any public area…

Charlottesville's smoking ordinance, Chapter 24 of the City Code, only reaches enclosed public places: elevators…

Chesapeake's smoking ordinance only reaches 'enclosed, indoor' public places, so open-air areas are not covered under…

Alexandria requires pedestrians to obey posted traffic signs and police directions under City Code § 10-5-4, and bars…

Chesapeake bars standing, sitting, squatting or lying in or between traffic lanes on any public right-of-way that has…

Fairfax County's mid-block crossing rule, County Code § 82-9-3, makes it unlawful to step into a highway open to moving…

Norfolk pedestrians must cross streets at intersections or marked crosswalks whenever possible under City Code §…

Arlington County has no standalone ban on crossing mid-block. Its only pedestrian-conduct rule, § 14.2-30, requires…

James City County requires pedestrians to use sidewalks rather than roadways under Sec. 13-26. Where no sidewalk…

Lynchburg pedestrians must cross at an intersection or marked crosswalk whenever possible, but the code does not…

Portsmouth directs pedestrians to cross wherever possible only at intersections or marked crosswalks. City Code §…

Prince William County requires pedestrians to cross at intersections or marked crosswalks whenever possible, but where…

Virginia legalized personal cannabis possession in 2021, but Virginia Code Section 4.1-1109 still prohibits public…

James City County bars consuming, possessing or being under the influence of any controlled substance, including…

In York County, Virginia, Sec. 17-51 bars consuming, possessing, or being under the influence of any controlled…

Drinking or offering an alcoholic beverage in a Chesapeake public place, or carrying an open container in a city park…

In Fauquier County's parks and recreation areas, it is unlawful to possess or consume any alcoholic beverage, or to be…

Drinking alcohol or offering a drink to someone else in any public place in Hampton, Virginia is a Class 4 misdemeanor…

Lynchburg makes it a class 4 misdemeanor to drink or hold an open container of alcohol in any city park, playground…

Drinking or offering an alcoholic drink in any public place is a Class 4 misdemeanor under City Code § 28-12.1, with…

Richmond Municipal Code Chapter 24 and Virginia Code Section 4.1-308 prohibit possessing open alcohol containers in…

Spotsylvania County bans alcohol at its own recreation area: the Ni River and Hunting Run Reservoirs park. County Code…

Drinking alcohol in public streets, sidewalks, parks, and on the Atlantic Avenue Boardwalk is generally prohibited…

Arlington County bans open alcoholic beverage containers in its public parks and playgrounds. Code § 17-2.A states…

Open alcohol containers are illegal in every Charlottesville city park, playground and public street, including the…

Chesterfield County Code § 14-23 bars possessing an open alcoholic beverage container, drinking, or handing a drink to…

James City County bans drinking or possessing an open container of alcohol, or being under its influence, inside any…

Norfolk Code § 29-17 makes public intoxication a Class 4 misdemeanor, rising to a Class 3 misdemeanor on a third…

Prince William County bans alcohol on two categories of public property: public school grounds at any time, and county…

Drinking or possessing any alcoholic beverage in a Roanoke city park is a Class 4 misdemeanor. The city manager can…

Roanoke County Code § 15-8(1)-(2) bars anyone from entering or remaining in a county park or recreation facility while…

Sec. 17-50 of the York County, Virginia code bars drinking any alcoholic beverage, or even holding an open container of…

Albemarle County bans drinking or offering alcohol to another person in any public place, and separately bans carrying…

Alexandria bans possessing an open container of alcohol in any public park, playground, street, alley, sidewalk or…

Drinking alcohol in Fairfax County parks, sidewalks, and most public spaces is prohibited under VA Code Section…

Portsmouth makes it a class 4 misdemeanor to stand, lie or sit in a public park, playground or public street while…

Hanover County makes it a class 4 misdemeanor to be intoxicated in public, whether from alcohol, a narcotic drug or any…