Public Urination

The act of public urinationUrinating in public is not listed as a crime in the Criminal Code though most municipalities give fines to those found doing it. Depending on the circumstances, police could potentially charge you under s.173 (1) of the Code for committing an indecent act, though that charge is usually only laid if someone wilfully exposes themself or masturbates in public.

Most cities and towns across Canada have bylaws that make it an offence to urinate in public, though some people have voiced concerns that these regulations unfairly target people experiencing homelessness. Public urination, defecation, or similar conduct is usually dealt with under local bylaws or provincial offences rather than the Criminal Code itself. The rule, ticket amount, and enforcement process vary by city and province.

These are not Criminal Code offences. Penalties vary by province, territory, municipality, and sometimes by bylaw or set-fine schedule.

Public urination is ordinarily a municipal bylaw matter, under bylaws enabled by provincial legislation, with set fines that vary city by city.

Ontario has its own statute and set-fine framework. Specific dollar amounts should be checked against the current official Ontario source.

In narrow cases, conduct could instead be charged federally as an indecent act in a public place (s. 173(1)) or nudity (s. 174 — which requires the Attorney General's consent to prosecute). Those sections target indecency, not ordinary public urination, and charges under them for urination are exceptional.