Serious Question: Is It Legal To Publicly Urinate in Sioux Falls Parks?

Let's face it: When you gotta go...you gotta go. But there are some limits in Sioux Falls when it comes to urinating in public.

I was running on our beautiful Sioux Falls bike trails a few weeks ago, and I came across an interesting situation. Out in the open, two male runners were publicly urinating...and they didn't try to hide it either.

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I was really debating on writing the story. This is not an open letter to complain about a human nature reaction. This is more of a public service announcement for Sioux Falls runners to be aware and courteous of their surroundings when it comes to taking a bathroom break.

I was running about 40 feet behind these two male runners, which is a close enough distance for being a woman. There was a corner ahead and the guys sped up a little. By the time I reached that corner, I saw these guys just relieving themselves on the edge of the pathway. They didn't even try to hide it! So I was thinking there was no way you could publicly urinate in Sioux Falls.

Allow me to give you a visual of what I witness:

So can you legally urinate in public in Sioux Falls? Is there a risk of being charged for indecent exposure?

According to Criminaldefenselawyer.com, public urination is not listed as a crime in some states. However, it does violate some laws. People can be charged with "disorderly conduct or creating a public nuisance." Those who decide to urinate (or even defecate) in public can break ordinances if they go "on any street, sidewalk, alley, plaza, park, beach public building or public facility, or any place open to the public or exposed to public view." A disorderly conduct charge in most states could result in incarceration in county jail, a payment of a fine, and some kind of community service. No one wants that on their record, right?

In Sioux Falls, finding a porta-potty is highly encouraged unless you want to take a risk.

The more you know, Sioux Falls! Thanks for listening to my TED Talk.