[Amended 6-27-1977; 9-14-1998 by Ord. No. 98-339; 6-24-2024 by Ord. No. 24-180]
A. It shall be unlawful for any person to loiter, loaf,
wander, stand or remain idle, either alone or in consort with others,
in a public place in such manner as to:
(1) Obstruct
any public street, public highway, public sidewalk or any other public
place or building or hinder or impede the free and uninterrupted passage
of vehicles, traffic or pedestrians.
(2) Commit,
in or upon any public street, public highway, public sidewalk or any
other public place or building, any act or thing which is an obstruction
or interference to the free and uninterrupted use of property or to
any business lawfully conducted by anyone in or upon or facing or
fronting on any such public street, public highway, public sidewalk
or any other public place or building, all of which prevents the free
and uninterrupted ingress, egress and regress therein, thereon and
thereto.
B. It shall also be unlawful for any person to loiter,
either alone or with others, on medians less than six feet wide in
high-volume or high-speed traffic areas, due to safety concerns.
As used in this chapter, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
LOITERING
Remaining idle in essentially one location, and shall include
the concept of spending time idly, to be dilatory, to linger, to stay,
to saunter, to delay and to stand around and shall also include the
colloquial expression "hanging around."
PUBLIC PLACE
Any place to which the general public has access and a right
to resort for business, entertainment or other lawful purpose, but
does not necessarily mean a place devoted solely to the uses of the
public. It shall also include the front or immediate area of any store,
shop, restaurant, tavern or other place of business and also public
grounds, areas or parks.
When any person causes or commits any of the conditions enumerated in §
174-1 herein, a police officer or any law enforcement officer shall order that person to stop causing or committing such conditions and to move on or disperse. Any person who fails or refuses to obey such orders shall be guilty of a violation of this chapter.