If you want to sunbathe in Redding but don’t want tattletale tan lines, your options are slim.
Nudity restrictions go far beyond conservative Shasta County. Being naked in public isn’t always an automatic violation, but if you’re spotted by other people you may be in trouble.
California’s indecent exposure law (314 PC) states it’s a crime to expose your “private parts” with the intent to offend others or for sexual gratification. While people are innocent unless proved guilty, not having either motivation can be hard to prove, California legal experts said.
The law applies to anyone in a public place and to anyplace where there are other people who could be “offended or annoyed” by you being in the buff — including private property. It also applies to people who encourage someone else to break the law, the state said.
The law covers all of California, including state beaches where in the past clothing was considered optional, tourism site California Beaches reported.
While breaking the law for the first time can be a misdemeanor offense in California, repeat offenders may face felony charges. Other laws that carry serious felony charges may apply, especially if there’s a minor in the area, attorneys cautioned.
Note to readers: If you appreciate the work we do here at the Redding Record Searchlight, please consider subscribing yourself or giving the gift of a subscription to someone you know.
Similar laws apply in other sunny states. Deputies in Florida arrested six people in 2025 who they said mistakenly sunbathed nude outside of a nude beach’s parameters.
Even on their own property, nude sunbathers in California and other states can find themselves in legal trouble if seen by a neighbor or passerby.
CBS News reported police in Utah arrested a man who sunbathed nude in his backyard, as he said he had done for 30 years. Police approached him after a group of people spotted him from an adjacent church parking lot. He took a plea deal when faced with seven misdemeanor charges for lewdness, four involving children, police said.
With no clothing-optional resorts or beaches in the Redding area, the only way to safely sunbathe in the buff is to build a walled private space on your property, according to California attorneys.
If you have an interesting legal question about Redding life, send it to the Record Searchlight at RRSEdit@redding.com. Type “Is it legal?” in the subject line. We’ll consider it for a possible story.
Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: The skinny on nude sunbathing during hot Redding summers
Reporting by Jessica Skropanic, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jessica Skropanic, Redding Record Searchlight | USA TODAY Network
