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File ID: #19320
Ordinance
Sponsored by: Rolando Escalona, Commissioner
AN ORDINANCE OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION AMENDING CHAPTER 37 OF
THE CODE OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA, AS AMENDED, ("CITY CODE")
TITLED "OFFENSES -- MISCELLANEOUS," MORE PARTICULARLY BY AMENDING
SECTION 37-11 OF THE CITY CODE TITLED "PUBLIC URINATION OR
DEFECATION PROHIBITED; EXCEPTIONS; PENALTIES" PROVIDING FOR
REVISED DEFINITIONS, PROHIBITED ACTS, AND REPEALING EXCEPTIONS;
CONTAINING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE
DATE.
City of Miami File ID: 19320 (Revision:) Printed On: 6/25/2026
City of Miami
Legislation
Ordinance
Enactment Number: 14472
File Number: 19320 Final Action Date: 6/11/2026
AN ORDINANCE OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION AMENDING CHAPTER 37 OF
THE CODE OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA, AS AMENDED, ("CITY CODE")
TITLED "OFFENSES -- MISCELLANEOUS," MORE PARTICULARLY BY AMENDING
SECTION 37-11 OF THE CITY CODE TITLED "PUBLIC URINATION OR
DEFECATION PROHIBITED; EXCEPTIONS; PENALTIES" PROVIDING FOR
REVISED DEFINITIONS, PROHIBITED ACTS, AND REPEALING EXCEPTIONS;
CONTAINING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE
DATE.
WHEREAS, public urination or defecation is injurious to public health, safety, and
welfare; and
WHEREAS, the City Commission has a substantial interest in protecting the health,
safety, and welfare of the residents of the City of Miami ("City") and a clear and unambiguous
prohibition against urination or defecation in public places is a reasonable means of achieving
that goal; and
WHEREAS, the City Commission finds that this Ordinance promotes and protects the
general health, safety, and welfare of the residents of the City;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF
MIAMI, FLORIDA:
Section 1. The recitals and findings contained in the Preamble to this Ordinance are
adopted by reference and incorporated as fully set forth in this Section.
Section 2. Chapter37 of the Code of the City of Miami, Florida, as amended ("City
Code"), titled "Offenses -Miscellaneous", is amended in the following particulars:I
"CHAPTER 37
OFFENSES - MISCELLANEOUS
Sec. 37-11. - Public urination or defecation prohibited; exceptions; penalties.
(a)Purpose. Public urination and/or defecation is found to be a public nuisance and
detrimental to the health, safety, and welfare of the city and its inhabitants. It is the intent
of this section to protect and preserve the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of
1 Words and/or figures stricken through shall be deleted. Underscored words and/or figures shall be
added. The remaining provisions are now in effect and remain unchanged. Asterisks indicate omitted
and unchanged material.
City of Miami File ID: 19320 (Revision:) Printed On: 6/25/2026
the city by prohibiting urination and/or defecation by any person in any public place as
defined herein.
(b) Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following words shall be defined as
provided herein:
Defecate or defecation, as used in this section, means to excrete waste from the body
from a person's bowels.
Persons with impairments means a disability, unrelated to the ingestion of alcohol, illegal
cubcta-nGGcs, or subctanGcs not prcscribcd to the particular person ingesting them, which
renders a person unable to control his or her bodily functions of urination and/or
defecation.
In plain view of the public means where such act may be readily observed by a member
of the public.
Public place means any street, highway, right-of-way, alley, parking lot, driveway,
sidewalk, boulevard, park, beach, wharf, pier, bridge, mall, or other place, whether public
or private, which is open to the public. As used in this section, "public place" does not
restroom or portable toilet.
Urinate or urination, as ised in this +ion means to pass or discharge urine excreted
by the kidneys from the body.
(c) Prohibited acts. It is unlawful for any person:
(1) To urinate in any public place that has not been designated for use as a urinal or
toilet. To intentionally urinate or defecate in plain view of the public on any public place in
the city.
(2) To defecate in an y p iblic plane that has not been designated for i ice as a toile+ This
section shall not apply to urinating or defecating in any restroom facility in a manner for
which that facility was designed.
old or to persons with impairments as defined in this section.
(d) Penalty. Any person violating any of the provisions of this section shall be subject to the
penalty as provided in section 1-13 of the City Code.
Section 3. If any section, part of a section, paragraph, clause, phrase or word of this
Ordinance is declared invalid, the remaining provisions of this Ordinance shall not be affected.
Section 4. This Ordinance shall become effective thirty (30) days after final reading and
adoption thereof.2
2 This Ordinance shall become effective as specified herein unless vetoed by the Mayor within ten (10)
days from the date it was passed and adopted. If the Mayor vetoes this Ordinance, it shall become
effective immediately upon override of the veto by the City Commission or upon the effective date stated
herein. whichever is later.
City of Miami File ID: 19320 (Revision:) Printed On: 6/25/2026
APPROVED AS TO FORM AND CORRECTNESS:
g III, C y'IPE[ttorey / 511812026
City of Miami File ID: 19320 (Revision:) Printed On: 6/25/2026