Chico Municipal Code Ch. 9.43 Civic Center Regulations

For purposes of this chapter, “civic center” is defined as the area in the City of Chico, Butte County, State of California, bounded by East 4th Street to the north, Main Street to the west, East 5th Street to the south, and Flume Street to the east.

(Ord. 2466 §5 (part))

A. This chapter shall govern all areas within the civic center, as defined herein.

B. This chapter does not intend to regulate conduct in the public right-of-way, such as streets, sidewalks and parkways.

(Ord. 2466 §5 (part))

A. All areas located within the civic center will be open to members of the public and accessible, used and entered only between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. The civic center may have extended hours of operation when the city council is in session.

B. It shall be prohibited and a violation of this section for a member of the public to access, use, be present, enter, or remain within the civic center between the hours of 10:01 p.m. and 6:59 a.m. of the succeeding day, except as provided in subsection C.

C. Subsection B shall not be applicable to the city council and its members, all city officers, employees and agents. Furthermore, members of the public shall be allowed to remain and linger up to one hour before and after any city-sponsored event to which the general public is invited. Failure to leave the premises after requested to do so by a police officer or a government employee shall constitute a violation of this chapter.

D. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the city shall remain entitled to close the civic center or extend the hours of operation when deemed reasonable or necessary by the city council, city manager or designee and authorized in writing. Notice to the public of such closure shall be by those means deemed reasonable and necessary, including but not limited to posting of temporary signs and/or utilization of the city’s website.

(Ord. 2466 §5 (part))

A. Skateboarding and skating, including but not limited to roller skates, in-line skates and/or roller blades, are not allowed in the civic center.

B. Riding bicycles is not allowed in the civic center.

(Ord. 2466 §5 (part))

No person shall damage, cut, carve upon, transplant or remove any tree or plant, or injure the bark or pick the flowers or seeds of any tree or plant; nor shall any person attach any rope, wire or other contrivance to any tree or plant; nor climb any tree; nor walk, stand or sit upon monuments, vases, fountains, railings, fences or upon any other property not designated or customarily used for such purposes. A person shall not dig in or otherwise disturb grass areas or in any other way injure or impair the natural beauty or usefulness of any area.

(Ord. 2466 §5 (part))

No person shall deposit, by means of urination or defecation, any human waste material in any public place (other than in a public toilet or restroom designed to receive waste material), in any place exposed to public view, or upon the surface of the ground or upon any premises, lot, or public street.

(Ord. 2466 §5 (part))

Pursuant to Chapter 9.30 of this code, no person shall use, consume, or have in their possession an open alcoholic beverage, in the Civic Center unless prior written approval is obtained from the city manager or designee.

(Ord. 2466 §5 (part), Ord. 2479 §15)

Smoking as defined in Section 8.28.010 of this code is not permitted in the civic center. This includes but is not limited to an electronic smoking device or battery-operated device that delivers vapors for inhalation which includes every variation and type of such devices whether they are manufactured, distributed, marketed or sold as an electronic cigarette, an electronic cigar, an electronic cigarillo, an electronic pipe, an electronic hookah, or any other product name or descriptor.

(Ord. 2466 §5 (part))

Tagging, graffiti and/or any other form of defacing public property is not permitted in the civic center.

(Ord. 2466 §5 (part))

Amplified sounds are not permitted in the civic center without prior written approval from the city manager or designee.

(Ord. 2466 §5 (part))

No person shall possess any glass container in the civic center, including but not limited to, rights-of-way, streets, sidewalks, alleys, parks, parking lots and buildings pursuant to Chapter 9.32 of this code. Possession of glass containers will be allowed with prior written approval by the city manager or designee.

(Ord. 2466 §5 (part))

A. It shall be unlawful for any person owning or having the control of, or being the keeper of, any dog, to permit said dog to run at large in the civic center in violation of Section 7.08.110 of this code.

B. Any person owning or having the control of, or being the keeper of, any dog, shall adhere to the city’s dog license requirements pursuant to Section 7.08.020 of this code.

(Ord. 2466 §5 (part))

A. A person who owns or has custody of a dog shall immediately remove and dispose of any feces deposited by such dog on any public property in a sanitary manner, by placing in an appropriate device and depositing in a sanitary receptacle.

B. A person who has custody of a dog shall carry an appropriate device to pick up dog feces at all times when the dog is not on the premises of its owner or custodian.

C. Exception: The provisions of this section shall not apply to any person with a disability accompanied by a service dog. “Service dog” means any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the individual’s disability. The crime deterrent effects of an animal’s presence and the emotional support, well-being, comfort, or companionship do not constitute work or tasks for the purposes of this definition.

(Ord. 2466 §5 (part))

A. It shall be unlawful for any person to possess a hypodermic needle or syringe, except as provided in subsection B of this section.

B. The provision of this section shall not apply to any person in possession of a hypodermic needle or syringe that is a licensed health care professional and/or any person with a current and valid prescription to be in possession of a hypodermic needle or syringe, until its final use, provided however, any such possession must be reasonably related to an accepted medical treatment and/or a current and valid prescription for the possessor by a licensed medical professional.

C. Any person that uses and/or possess any hypodermic needle or syringe, as permitted in subsection B of this section, shall cause such hypodermic needle or syringe to be transported to the appropriate facility for disposal in a container that meets state and federal standards for disposal of sharps waste. It is illegal and a violation of this section to dispose of hypodermic needles and syringes in the trash or recycling container.

(Ord. 2466 §5 (part))

Violation of this chapter shall be a misdemeanor or an infraction and may be enforced by the filing of a criminal action by the city attorney or the issuance of an administrative citation in accordance with Chapter 1.15 of this code.

(Ord. 2466 §5 (part))