Parking on Neighborhood Streets

March 15 2023

PLEASE PARK IN YOUR DRIVEWAY OR GARAGE

PARKING ON PUBLIC STREETS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

With continued growth in Houston over the last several years there has been a drastic increase in calls to law enforcement in relation to parking issues. The most common complaint received is that some residents do not utilize their private driveway to park their vehicles on a daily basis. In many of the neighborhoods, vehicles are parked on the street across from a neighbor’s driveway, in front of the cluster mailboxes, too close to an intersection or stop sign, parked facing the wrong direction (into traffic) and parking that prohibits the safe movement of traffic. While some of these parking habits may not be illegal, they can contribute to an unsafe environment in the neighborhood. Most streets are wide enough to accommodate a vehicle or vehicles parking on one side of the street, however, the problem occurs when vehicles are parked on both sides of the street, which causes impeded sight lines and makes movement of vehicles slow and difficult. It also can inhibit the safe movement of fire trucks, ambulances, law enforcement vehicles, school buses, U.S. Mail, garbage trucks, and utility vehicles. Additionally, it causes an unsafe environment for pedestrians to move freely around their neighborhood, especially small children.

Law enforcement strongly encourages residents to park in their private driveway, even though in most cases it is not illegal to park on neighborhood streets. All violations of traffic laws will be strictly enforced by law enforcement, and if your vehicle is deemed to be a traffic hazard or violates traffic laws, it can be ticketed or moved at the owner’s expense.

SPECIFIC TEXAS PARKING LAWS

Texas parking laws are listed under the state’s Transportation Code Section 545.301. Law enforcement appreciates your attention to these state laws and just as importantly your consideration of a safe neighborhood. Here is a summary:

Section 545.302

Stopping, Standing, or Parking Prohibited in Certain Places.
a) An operator may not stop, stand, or park a vehicle:
- On the roadway side of a vehicle stopped or parked at the edge or curb of a street;
- On a sidewalk;
- In an intersection;
- On a crosswalk;
- Between safety zone and the adjacent curb or within 30 feet on the curb opposite of the safety zone;
- Where an official sign prohibits stopping or other Texas parking law prohibits parking.

b) An operator may not, except momentarily to pick up or discharge a passenger, stand or park an occupied or unoccupied vehicle:

- In front of a public or private driveway;
- Within 15 feet of a fire hydrant;
- Within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection;
- Within 30 feet of a flashing signal, stop sign, yield sign, or traffic-control signal located at the side of the roadway;
- Where an official sign prohibits standing or other Texas parking law prohibits parking.