For purposes of this article, the following definitions shall apply:
Parking.
The standing of a vehicle, whether occupied or not, other than a temporary stopping of such vehicle for the purpose of, and while actually engaged in, loading or unloading passengers or merchandise, or any involuntary stopping of the vehicle by reason of cause beyond the control if the occupant of the vehicle.
Vehicle.
Every device or machine in, upon, or by which any person or property may be carried, transported, drawn, or propelled in any manner upon any public street, alley or highway.
(Ordinance 21-0812B adopted 8/12/21, effective 8/22/21)
A person commits an offense if, as the operator of a vehicle, he parks, stops or stands the vehicle in violation of an official sign, curb marking or street marking prohibiting, regulating or restricting the parking, standing or standing [sic] of a vehicle.
(1999 Code, sec. 10.1001)
(a) 
A person commits an offense if, without lawful authority, he places, maintains or displays upon or in view of a public sidewalk, curb or street a sign, signal, marking or device which indicates reserved parking space for adjoining owners or for customers of the adjoining owners upon the street or in areas recessed from the street which require use of the street for maneuvering.
(b) 
A person commits an offense if, without lawful authority, he attempts to reserve a parking space upon a street for an adjoining owner by a statement or gesture.
(1999 Code, sec. 10.1002)
When a vehicle is found unattended or unoccupied upon a street, highway, alley or other public place, or upon the right-of-way of a railroad, or less than six (6) feet from the nearest rail of a railroad track, in violation of any provision of this article regulating the stopping, standing or parking of vehicles, it shall be presumed that the owner unlawfully stopped, placed or parked the vehicle. Proof of the ownership may be made by a copy of the registration of the vehicle with the state department of transportation or the county motor vehicle license department showing the name of the person to whom the state highway license plates were issued. This proof shall constitute prima facie evidence of the ownership of the motor vehicle by the person to whom the certificate of registration was issued.
(1999 Code, sec. 10.1003)
(a) 
When a police officer finds a vehicle standing upon a street or highway in violation of a provision of this article, the officer is authorized to move the vehicle or to require the driver or other person in charge of the vehicle to move the vehicle to a location off the paved or main part of the highway or street.
(b) 
Provided further that a police officer may remove or require the operator or person in charge of a vehicle to move a vehicle from a street or highway if the vehicle:
(1) 
Is unattended on a bridge, viaduct, or causeway or in a tube or tunnel and the vehicle is obstructing traffic;
(2) 
Is unlawfully parked and blocking the entrance to a private driveway;
(3) 
Has been reported as stolen;
(4) 
Is identified as having been stolen in a warrant issued on the filing of a complaint;
(5) 
Is unattended and the officer has reasonable grounds to believe that the vehicle has been abandoned for longer than 48 hours;
(6) 
Is disabled so that normal operation is impossible or impractical and the owner or person in charge of the vehicle is:
(A) 
Incapacitated and unable to provide for the vehicle’s removal or custody; or
(B) 
Not in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle;
(7) 
Is disabled so that normal operation is impossible or impractical and the owner or person in charge of the vehicle does not designate a particular towing or storage company;
(8) 
Is operated by a person an officer arrests for an alleged offense and the officer is required by law to take the person into custody; or
(9) 
Is, in the opinion of the officer, a hazard, interferes with a normal function of a governmental agency, or because of a catastrophe, emergency, or unusual circumstance is imperiled.
(c) 
An officer acting under subsection (b) may require that the vehicle be taken to:
(1) 
The nearest garage or other place of safety;
(2) 
A garage designated or maintained by the town; or
(3) 
A position off the paved or main traveled part of the street or highway.
(d) 
The owner of a vehicle that is removed or stored under this section is liable for all reasonable towing and storage fees incurred.
(1999 Code, sec. 10.1004)
A person commits an offense if he stops, stands or parks, in a public street, sidewalk or alley, an animal-drawn wagon, pushcart, bicycle, tricycle or unicycle, except where allowed by other provisions of this article or other provisions in this code.
(1999 Code, sec. 10.1005)
(a) 
It shall be unlawful for any person to park or stand any truck with a rated capacity in excess of one and one-half (1-1/2) tons according to the manufacturer’s classification or any bus, semitrailer, service vehicle, pole trailer, truck-tractor, house trailer, special mobile equipment, farm tractor or implement of husbandry upon any residential public street, alley or public right-of-way, or upon property within a residential area. This subsection shall not apply to the parking or standing of a vehicle for the purpose of expeditiously loading and unloading passengers, freight or merchandise.
(b) 
It shall be unlawful for any person to park or stand any truck with a rated capacity in excess of one and one-half (1-1/2) tons according to the manufacturer’s rated classification or any motor home, bus, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, truck-tractor, house trailer, special mobile equipment, farm tractor or implement of husbandry upon any residential public street, alley or public right-of-way within the town at any time from thirty (30) minutes after sunset until thirty (30) minutes before sunrise.
(c) 
Passenger cars, pickup trucks with a rated capacity of three-quarters (3/4) of a ton or less, passenger vans, and any type of disabled person’s vehicle or trailer which displays a decal, identification card or other device issued in accordance with state law to any handicapped driver using the international symbol consisting of a stylized wheelchair on a blue background are exempt from this section.
(1999 Code, sec. 10.1007; Ordinance adopting Code)
(a) 
A person commits an offense if he stops, parks or stands a truck-tractor, road tractor, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, bus, or any commercial motor vehicle upon a public street, alley, parkway, boulevard, or public place. This section shall not apply to street construction, maintenance, and repair equipment; trucks, equipment, trailers, and vehicles used by public service utility companies engaged in repairing or extending public service utilities; motor buses when taking on or discharging passengers at customary bus stops; other vehicles when actually parking at a designated loading zone, or where it is lawful to park a commercial motor vehicle for the purpose of accepting or delivering transportable goods; or a vehicle with a mechanical defect, making it unsafe to proceed further, in which event it shall be lawful to stand or park the vehicle during the time necessary to make emergency repairs. For purposes of this section, “commercial motor vehicle” shall mean any motor vehicle designed or used primarily for transportation of property or people for hire with a rated capacity or payload greater than one and one-half (1-1/2) tons or more according to the manufacturer’s classification or licensed registered weight. A commercial motor vehicle may include but is not limited to vehicles:
(1) 
Registered to a business;
(2) 
Bearing a business insignia; or
(3) 
Bearing a commercial license plate.
(b) 
Commercial motor vehicles may include, but shall not be limited to, trucks, tractors, road tractors, truck-tractors, semitrailers, tractor trailers, trailers, vans, step-vans, wreckers, motor buses, street or suburban buses, school buses and taxicabs.
(1999 Code, sec. 10.1009; Ordinance adopting Code)
The driver of a vehicle who parks the vehicle on a street upon which parking spaces are delineated by limit lines shall park the entire vehicle within the limit lines marked on the curb or street designating the parking stall.
(1999 Code, sec. 10.1006)
No person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or in compliance with law or the directions of a police officer or traffic-control device in any of the following places:
(1) 
On a sidewalk;
(2) 
In front of a public or private driveway;
(3) 
Within an intersection;
(4) 
On a crosswalk;
(5) 
Within twenty (20) feet of a crosswalk at an intersection;
(6) 
Within fifteen (15) feet of a fire hydrant; or
(7) 
Where signs are erected or curbs are painted indicating that such is not allowed.
(1999 Code, sec. 10.1008)
A person commits an offense if he stops, parks or stands an automobile, truck or other vehicle so that any portion of the vehicle is closer than six (6) feet to the nearest rail of the track of a railroad company. This section does not apply to the parking or standing of vehicles for the purpose of loading or unloading passengers, freight or merchandise to or from a railroad car or building adjoining the track.
(1999 Code, sec. 10.1010)
(a) 
A person commits an offense if he parks a vehicle upon a street or highway for the purpose of:
(1) 
Displaying such vehicle for sale.
(2) 
Washing, greasing or repairing such vehicle, except when repairs are necessitated by an emergency.
(b) 
A person commits an offense if he stops, parks or stands a vehicle on a parkway. This subsection does not apply to a vehicle which develops a mechanical defect making it impossible or unsafe to proceed further, and in this case it is lawful to stop, park or stand the vehicle for the time necessary to make emergency repairs.
(1999 Code, sec. 10.1011)
(a) 
A person commits an offense if he parks or stands a passenger car or light truck in an alley so that any portion of the vehicle:
(1) 
Obstructs a driveway.
(2) 
Limits the width of the alley to less than ten (10) feet.
(b) 
This section does not apply to a vehicle when it is used for construction, maintenance or repair work in an alley or when it has a defect which immobilizes the vehicle.
(1999 Code, sec. 10.1013)
If a highway includes two (2) or more separate roadways and traffic is restricted to one direction on one or more of the separate roadways, a person commits an offense if he stands or parks a vehicle upon the left-hand side of the one-way roadway, unless signs are erected to permit such standing or parking.
(1999 Code, sec. 10.1014)
(a) 
A person commits an offense if the owner, occupant or person in charge of motor vehicle or trailer stops, stands or parks such vehicle or trailer for any purpose on any unimproved surface in any area of the town zoned for commercial or industrial uses unless said vehicle is:
(1) 
Being used for the purpose of expeditiously loading or unloading passengers, freight, or merchandise; or
(2) 
Temporarily disabled and protected by flares or other approved signal devices.
(b) 
A person commits an offense if the owner, occupant or person in charge of property, in any area of the town zoned for commercial or industrial uses, permits a violation under subsection (a) to occur on said property.
(c) 
A person permits a violation under subsection (a) to occur if the owner, occupant or person in charge of the property where the subsection (a) violation occurred knew or should have known of the likelihood of the occurrence and could have taken reasonable measures to prevent it. Reasonable measures of prevention shall include, but are not limited to:
(1) 
Posting of “no parking” signs; or
(2) 
Barricading any ingress or egress to the unimproved surface using a device approved for such barricade.
(d) 
It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under subsection (a) or subsection (b) if a vehicle is parked on an unimproved surface if construction, building improvements, or landscaping activities require parking of said vehicle on said unimproved surface. The vehicle shall be removed from the unimproved surface within seventy-two (72) hours of the completion of the portion of the project requiring said parking.
(e) 
For the purpose of this section, “unimproved surface” refers to any part of a property that is not either constructed of concrete, asphalt, or other equivalent materials approved and specifically designed for the movement or parking of vehicles thereon.
(Ordinance 14-0911C adopted 9/11/14)
(a) 
A person commits an offense if the person stops, stands, or parks a commercial motor vehicle, boat or boat trailer, or recreational vehicle (RV), including travel trailers, campers, or motorhomes at a location where official signs, curb markings, or street markings prohibit such stopping, standing, or parking.
(b) 
A person commits an offense if the person leaves standing or parked a commercial motor vehicle, boat or boat trailer, or recreational vehicle (RV), including travel trailers, campers, or motorhomes, for a period of time longer than that permitted by official sign, curb marking, or street marking.
(c) 
A person commits an offense if the person leaves standing or parked a commercial motor vehicle, boat or boat trailer, or RV, including travel trailers, campers, or motorhomes, on public or private property that is zoned mixed use, commercial, or industrial as defined in the Unified Development Code where official signs, curb markings, or street markings prohibit such stopping, standing, or overnight parking.
(d) 
No truck-tractor, road tractor, semitrailer, tractor-trailer, or similar vehicle with a payload or capacity of greater than one (1) ton or more according to the manufacturer’s classification or the licensed registered weight shall be parked on any property zoned mixed use, commercial, or industrial as defined in the Unified Development Code unless said vehicle is used in conjunction with a permitted business located on the lot; and the vehicle is parked on a concrete, asphalt or other approved, hard, all-weather surface.
(e) 
“Commercial vehicle” shall mean any vehicle designed or used primarily for transportation of property or persons for hire with a rated capacity or payload greater than one (1) ton or more according to the manufacturer’s classification or licensed registered weight. A commercial vehicle meeting these criteria may include but shall not be limited to vehicles:
(1) 
Registered to a business;
(2) 
Bearing a business insignia; or
(3) 
Bearing a commercial license plate.
(f) 
Commercial vehicles may include but shall not be limited to trucks, tractors, road-tractors, truck-tractors, semitrailers, tractor trailers, trailers, vans, step-vans, wreckers, motor buses, street or suburban buses, school buses and taxicabs.
(g) 
Any person violating any provision of this article within the corporate limits of the town shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction shall be fined as provided for in section 1.01.009 of this code. Each day that such violation continues shall be a separate offense. Prosecution or conviction under this provision shall never be a bar to any other remedy or relief for violations of this article. In a prosecution for an offense under this article involving the stopping, standing, or parking of a motor vehicle it is presumed that the registered owner of the vehicle is the person who stopped, stood, or parked the vehicle at the time and place the offense occurred.
(h) 
The town administrator or the town administrator’s designee shall erect signs to designate areas for which the overnight parking restrictions described in this article apply. Such sign(s) will inform ordinarily observant persons that parking is prohibited in designated areas at certain times.
(Ordinance 16-0609A adopted 6/9/16)
The town hereby establishes and designates a “no parking anytime” zone along all TxDOT rights-of-way within the town limits. A person commits an offense if he parks any vehicle along any TxDOT right-of-way in the “no parking anytime” zone as designated, established, and marked as such. Such designation, establishment or marking shall be prima facie evidence of the existence and legality of such zone.
(Ordinance 21-0812B adopted 8/12/21, effective 8/22/21)
(a) 
Authority to designate; times operative.
The public works director, on the basis of engineering and traffic surveys, is authorized to determine the location of passenger and freight curb loading zones and shall place and maintain appropriate signs indicating these locations. Freight loading zones shall be effective between 7:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., except Sundays and meter holidays, and passenger loading zones shall be effective at all times. If the zone lies within a section of curb designated for parking ban purposes, the loading zone shall not be effective during the time when the parking ban is in effect.
(b) 
Permit; collection of fees.
Any person desiring a loading zone abutting his property shall make application on appropriate forms to the public works director. If the permit application is approved, and after the annual permit fee has been paid to the town, the public works director shall set aside the zone by placing appropriate signs or curb markings. The town secretary shall collect the renewal fee on the same basis for subsequent years, and in the event the fee is not promptly paid, the town secretary shall advise the public works director, who shall remove the signs or curb markings designating the loading zone.
(c) 
Amount of fee; signs or curb markings.
The annual fee for a loading zone permit is in the amount established in appendix A to this code and shall be payable to the town secretary upon approval of the permit application. A loading zone shall be designated by upright signs or painted curb markings of a distinctive color imprinted with the words loading zone or passenger loading zone.
(d) 
Prohibited locations.
A loading zone permit shall not be granted where the flow of traffic would be impeded or where traffic hazards would be created.
(e) 
Use not exclusive.
Loading zones shall be available to any person who may have loading or unloading requirements in the immediate vicinity.
(1999 Code, sec. 10.1015; Ordinance adopting Code)
A person may stop, stand or park a passenger-type vehicle in a freight loading zone for the purpose of loading or unloading freight if he places an appropriate sign at least six (6) inches by eleven (11) inches on his windshield advising that he is parking for loading or unloading freight. Absence of an appropriate sign on the windshield of a passenger-type vehicle in a freight loading zone shall be prima facie evidence that the vehicle is illegally parked.
(1999 Code, sec. 10.1016)
The operator of a vehicle used to transport merchandise or materials may load and unload while the vehicle is backed against the curb in areas and at times designated by the chief of police, so long as it does not seriously interfere with the flow of traffic.
(1999 Code, sec. 10.1017)
When a vehicle having six (6) or more wheels is backed to the curb for the purpose of unloading or loading, the front or tractor portion shall, to the extent physically possible, be turned parallel to the curb and headed in the direction of traffic.
(1999 Code, sec. 10.1018)
A person commits an offense if he stops, stands or parks a vehicle for any purpose other than for the expeditious unloading or loading of materials in any place marked as a loading zone during hours when the provisions applicable to such zones are in effect. In no case shall the stopping for loading and unloading of materials exceed fifteen (15) minutes, except on written permission from the chief of police and then only for a period necessary to complete one undertaking.
(1999 Code, sec. 10.1019)
A person commits an offense if he stops, stands or parks a vehicle for any purpose other than for the expeditious loading or unloading of passengers in any place marked as a passenger loading zone during hours when the regulations applicable to the loading zones are in effect. A person may stop, stand or park a vehicle in a passenger loading zone only for a period of time not to exceed two (2) minutes.
(1999 Code, sec. 10.1020)