If you’re caught wandering around a private property there’s a good chance that in addition to trespassing charges, you’ll also be charged with prowling.Prowling is dealt with in California’s Penal Code 647i PC. It defines a prowler as a person, “who, while loitering, prowling, or wandering upon the private property of another, at any time, peeks in the door or window of any inhabited building or structure, without visible or lawful business with the owner or occupant.”Prowling in California is handled as a misdemeanor. If you’re convicted, the maximum sentence is up to six months in a county jail and/or a $1,000 fine. In many cases, prowling is added to other charges which can include stalking, trespassing, violating a personal protection order, and harassment. The additional charges will likely influence the final sentence.There have been cases where a person was charged with prowling but the charge was ultimately dropped. This frequently happens when the defendant can prove that:
  • They had permission to be on the property
  • They didn’t know it was private property
  • They had a justified reason for being on the property
  • They were falsely accused

One of the problems with California’s legal system is that sometimes it’s difficult to know that you’re breaking the law. In many disorderly conduct cases, people think they’re just having a good time or being opinionated until the police show up. Sometimes people don’t even know what they’ve done until they hear the charges as the booking officer works through the paperwork.What is considered disorderly conduct can vary from one state to another? Some cities even have different rules regarding what is and isn’t disorderly conduct.In California, disorderly conduct is generally considered behavior that irritates, stresses, or alarms those around you. That doesn’t mean your little sister can file disorderly conduct charges against you each time you annoy her while you’re at home. However, if the pair of you are at a bar and you start shouting at her, the other bar patrons will likely call the police and you could be arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.Most disorderly conduct cases in California involve at least one person who is publicly intoxicated.In addition to getting too wild while at the bar, California considers the following activities to be forms of disorderly conduct:
  • Lewd/lascivious acts
  • Soliciting
  • Engaging in Prostitution
  • Loud public arguments
  • Invasion of privacy
  • Peeping