El Centro Municipal Code Art. I In General

It shall be unlawful for any person to print any notice or advertisement upon any private property without obtaining permission from the owner.

(Ord. No. 44, §§ 1, 19; Code 1962, § 20-1)

It shall be unlawful for any person to print or paint any notice or advertisement upon any public property or sidewalks.

(Ord. No. 141, §§ 1, 19; Code 1962, § 20-2)

It shall be unlawful for any person to distribute or deliver, or cause to be distributed or delivered, upon or along any street in the city, any handbills or other advertising matter.

(Ord. No. 141, § 1; Code 1962, § 20-3)

Barbed-wire, electrified, and other hazardous fences shall only be permitted as follows:

(a) Fences shall be for purposes of security for uses such as utility substations, wireless telecommunications facilities, storage of fleet vehicles, or similar uses.

(b) Fences shall not include projecting nails, broken glass, or similar materials.

(c) Fencing shall not be visible from the public right of way within any Visual Enhancement Area, as shown on Figure LUE-10—Visual Enhancement Areas, in the El Centro Land Use Element, as may be amended from time to time.

(d) Fencing shall not be permitted adjacent to arterial roadways identified in the city's general plan mobility element.

(e) Fencing shall not be permitted in any residential zone or any location abutting a residential zone.

(f) Barbed-wire fencing, as defined in chapter 29, section 29-17, may be permitted with application to the community development department on top of fences six (6) feet high in commercial and manufacturing zones.

(g) Electrified fencing may be permitted in accordance with California Civil Code section 835 and with application to the community development department on top of fences six (6) feet high in commercial, industrial, and manufacturing zones.

(Code 1962, § 20-5; Ord. No. 76-1, § 1; Ord. No. 24-03, § 4, 9-17-24)

Cross reference— Buildings and construction regulations, Ch. 7.

It shall be unlawful for any person to injure or deface any public property or sidewalk.

(Ord. No. 44, §§ 1, 19; Code 1962, § 20-6)

Cross reference— Streets, sidewalks and public places, Ch. 23.

(a) Prohibited. It shall be unlawful for any persons to congregate, collect or gather in groups of two (2) or more persons in, along, upon or around any public sidewalk, street, alley, park, building or other public place in such manner as to interfere with the lawful use of such public sidewalk, street, alley, park, building or other public place or in such manner as to disturb or interfere with the lawful use of such public sidewalk, street, alley, park or other public place by other persons.

(b) Order to disperse. If any group of persons shall gather or collect in, along, upon or around any public sidewalk, street, alley, park, building or other public place in an unlawful manner, as provided in paragraph (a) of this section, it shall be the duty of any police officer to require such group of persons to disperse. Failure of such group or of any member of such group forthwith to comply with such requirement shall constitute a misdemeanor.

(Ord. No. 343, §§ 2, 3; Code 1962, §§ 20-8, 20-9)

It shall be unlawful for any person to stop or attempt to stop or otherwise interfere with any person lawfully using any public sidewalk, street, alley, building, park or other public place within the city.

(Ord. No. 393, § 3; Code 1962, § 20-10)

It shall be unlawful for any person to burn rubber or any other material producing harmful or offensive odors within the city; provided, however, that this shall not be construed to apply to the burning of trash as permitted under the fire prevention code.

(Ord. No. 385, § 5; Code 1962, § 20-16)

(a) It shall be unlawful for any person, either as principal, agent, servant or employee, willfully and knowingly to report to the police department, any member or agency thereof or any peace officer any false event, circumstance, fact or accusation calculated, designed or intended to furnish the basis for any investigation, arrest or prosecution.

(b) Proof under paragraph (a) of this section that any person, either as principal, agent, servant or employee, did in fact report to the police department of the city, any member or agency thereof or any peace officer any false event, circumstance, fact or accusation calculated, designed or intended to furnish the basis for any investigation, arrest or prosecution shall constitute prima facie proof that he did so willfully and knowingly.

(Ord. No. 588, § 1; Code 1962, § 20-17)

Cross reference— Police, Ch. 21.

State Law reference— False reports to police officers, Penal Code, § 148.5.

It shall be unlawful for any person to permit to be or remain or to maintain upon any property or premises in the city anything that is likely to become a menace to the health of any person in the city or offensive to the senses or to interfere with public comfort.

(Ord. No. 588, §§ 3, 4; Code 1962, § 20-18)

(a) Definition. For the purpose of this section, a swimming pool is any confined body of water, exceeding one hundred fifty (150) square feet in surface area and two (2) feet in depth, used or intended to be used for swimming or bathing purposes.

(b) Fences, etc. Every swimming pool shall be enclosed by a wall, fence or other structure having a minimum height of five (5) feet and constructed or installed so as to obstruct access thereto by persons other than the owners or occupants of the premises on which such swimming pool is located.

(c) Gates. Such fences shall include gates or doors therein. All gates and doors installed must be self-closing and self-latching, with latches placed at least four (4) feet above the ground level. All gates opening through such enclosure shall be kept securely closed and latched at all times.

(d) Ingress and egress. Such fence, gate or other protective device as required by these subsections shall be installed in such a manner as to comply with the fire regulations and the laws of the state and the ordinances of the city.

(e) Variances. The owner of any swimming pool may request approval of variance from the fencing requirements of this section by submitting to the building inspector written application for such variance, setting forth a description of such pool and an alternate safeguard or condition of the site by which unauthorized entry into such swimming pool may be restricted or prevented. The building inspector may approve such alternate safeguard or obstruction upon finding that one of the following conditions exists:

(1) That physical conditions of the site would make the erection of a fence or wall impractical.

(2) That proposed limitation of access or conditions of control which would be continuously effective would accomplish the intent of the fencing requirements.

(f) Exemptions.

(1) The provisions of paragraphs (b), (c) and (d) of this section shall not apply to premises where a swimming pool is used or maintained and the premises are used for any hotel, motel, apartment or trailer park consisting of ten (10) or more units, where the owner or managerial employee thereof is on duty on such premises twenty-four (24) hours each day.

(2) All swimming pools which are completely contained within the walls of a building shall be exempt from the provisions of this section.

(Code 1962, § 20-18; Ord. No. 75-4, §§ 2—6)

Cross reference— Water, Ch. 28.

It shall be unlawful for any person to occupy a recreation vehicle (California Health and Safety Code section 18010) or other vehicle for living or sleeping purposes anywhere within the confines of the city, except in a recreational vehicle park, the operation of which is duly licensed by the city or as otherwise permitted pursuant to chapters 7 and 29 of the El Centro City Code.

(Ord. No. 696, § 1; Code 1962, § 20-19; Ord. No. 81-17, § 1; Ord. No. 24-03, § 5, 9-17-24)

It shall be unlawful for any person licensed to do business in the city to display any aerosol spray can containing any substance commonly known as paint, for sale from any self-service or self-help counter. Such aerosol spray cans containing any substance commonly known as paint may only be offered for sale from an enclosed counter, access to which is only available to a clerk.

(Ord. No. 78-1, §§ 1—4; Ord. No. 94-8, § 1)

(a) Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following terms are defined as follows:

Alcoholic beverage shall have the same meaning as set forth in California Business and Professions Code section 23004.

Public park shall have the same meaning as set forth in section 19-1 of this Code.

Public right-of-way shall mean any place of any nature which is dedicated to use by the public for pedestrian and vehicular travel, and includes, but is not limited to, a street, sidewalk, curb, gutter, crossing, intersection, parkway, plaza, square, highway, alley, lane, mall, court, way, avenue, boulevard, road, roadway, viaduct, subway, tunnel, bridge, thoroughfare, square, and any other similar public way.

(b) Unless the city manager or designee has issued a special event permit, or unless otherwise permitted by section 19-34, it is unlawful for any person to consume any alcoholic beverage at any time, upon public property and public right-of-way.

(c) This section does not prohibit:

(1) Any person from consuming alcoholic beverages within the defined boundaries of a sidewalk cafe located on the public right-of-way, or on property leased from the city;

(2) Any business from lawfully selling or dispensing alcoholic beverages in accordance with the requirements of local and state law;

(3) Any person from consuming alcoholic beverages upon any private residential lot immediately adjacent to the public right of way.

(Ord. No. 05-01, § 1, 3-2-05)

Any person who violates any provision of this article shall be guilty of an infraction.

(Ord. No. 05-01, § 1, 3-2-05)