Public Urination

The offense of urinating in a public place outside a designated restroom facility, generally charged as a form of disorderly conduct, public indecency or a dedicated public urination ordinance depending on the jurisdiction, and typically punishable by a fine rather than a substantial custodial sentence for a first offense. Enforcement is documented as concentrated disproportionately in dense urban areas with limited public restroom access, and a number of cities, including San Francisco and New York, have debated or piloted expanded public restroom access partly in response to persistent public urination enforcement in areas with large homeless populations. In most jurisdictions the offense is distinguished from indecent exposure, a more serious offense requiring an element of intentional sexual display or lewd intent toward another person, whereas public urination alone, without such intent, is typically charged as a lesser public-order violation.