Section 21956.
Cal. Vehicle Code - VEH § 21956.
in effect(a)
A pedestrian shall not walk upon a roadway outside of a business or residence district otherwise than close to the pedestrian’s left-hand edge of the roadway.
(b)
A pedestrian may walk close to their right-hand edge of the roadway if a crosswalk or other means of safely crossing the roadway is not available or if existing traffic or other conditions would compromise the safety of a pedestrian attempting to cross the road.
(c)
(1)
A peace officer, as defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2 of the Penal Code, shall not stop a
pedestrian for a violation of this section unless a reasonably careful person would realize there is an immediate danger of a collision with a moving vehicle or other device moving exclusively by human power.
(2)
This subdivision does not relieve a pedestrian from the duty of using due care for their safety.
(3)
This subdivision does not relieve a driver of a vehicle from the duty of exercising due care for the safety of any pedestrian within the roadway.
References
referencesCal. Penal Code - PEN § 830.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026