Cities can enact ordinances for conduct covered by the Penal Code as long as the ordinance does not set a criminal penalty different from the penalty provided in the Penal Code.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Only for traffic offenses
• D. Only if the offense is minor

Answer: (B)

The main idea is that state criminal law controls what counts as a crime and how it’s punished. Municipalities cannot create their own criminal offenses for conduct that is already covered by the Penal Code. If the conduct is a state crime, the city cannot impose its own criminal penalty for it or duplicate the state offense with a different punishment. Instead, cities may regulate such conduct only through non-criminal means (like civil penalties or administrative regulations) or address it under the state’s Penal Code penalties.

So even if a city tries to mirror a Penal Code offense, the local ordinance cannot establish a separate criminal penalty for that conduct. That’s why the statement is false.