The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this article,
shall have the meanings as ascribed to them in this section, except
where the content indicates a different meaning:
Any alcohol and any beverage containing more than one-half
of one percent of alcohol by volume, which is capable of use for beverage,
either alone or when diluted.
Any park, playground or recreational area owned, leased,
operated or under the control of the city. This definition shall include
but is not limited to any athletic field, swimming pool, gymnasium,
tennis court, and other similar facility.
(Ordinance 512-2010 adopted 10/21/10)
(a)
The
hours of operation for any city park shall be 5:00 a.m. until 11:00
p.m., however special permission may be granted by the city manager
or his designee for organized sports or special events which last
past closing time. If special permission is granted, the city park
shall close when the permitted activity ceases.
(b)
Unless
special permission has been granted pursuant to this section, it shall
be unlawful for any person, except a member of the police or fire
departments, or other employees of the city engaged in the performance
of official duty to be in or within the boundaries of a park in the
city between the hours of 11:01 p.m. and 4:59 a.m.
(Ordinance 643-2016 adopted 7/21/16)
It shall be unlawful for any person to bring, or cause to be
brought, or possess any glass containers in any city park.
(Ordinance 512-2010 adopted 10/21/10)
It shall be unlawful for any person to carry or discharge firearms,
except those who are duly licensed by the state to carry a concealed
handgun in accordance with the provisions of the Texas Concealed Weapons
Act. This includes, but is not limited to, fireworks, BB guns, air
guns, bows and arrows, slingshots, blowguns, rockets or paintball
guns.
(Ordinance 512-2010 adopted 10/21/10)
It shall be unlawful for any person to consume or possess alcoholic
beverages in any city park.
(Ordinance 512-2010 adopted 10/21/10)
It shall be unlawful for any person to use any tobacco product
or to smoke, or possess a burning tobacco, weed or other plant product
in any city park.
(Ordinance 512-2010 adopted 10/21/10)
(a)
No
person shall ride, drive or go at a rate of speed faster than the
posted speed limit, upon any bicycle, in-line skates, or any other
nonmotorized vehicle apparatus whatsoever, upon any parking lot or
area, road or street in any park. Bicycles, skateboards, in-line skates,
rollerblades, and nonmotorized scooters and similar amusements are
allowed on park trails, but the city manager is authorized to designate
certain areas as off limits for nonmotorized vehicles.
(b)
No
person shall roller skate, ride on a skateboard, or cycle on any park
bench, table, sidewalk, railing, retaining wall or other park structure,
not intended for pedestrian or vehicle traffic, or to jump or step
on or off such park structures in the process of roller skating, riding
a skateboard, or cycling.
(Ordinance 512-2010 adopted 10/21/10)
(a)
No
person shall ride, drive or park any motorcycle, automobile, motorized
scooter, or other motorized vehicle upon, over or across any park,
curb, sidewalk, grass lawn, hiking or jogging trail or park land,
except authorized city vehicles, and in designated areas, unless authorized
by the city manager, or her designee.
(b)
No
person shall operate any vehicle in a park facility parking lot after
permitted hours of operation.
(c)
No
person shall park or operate a commercial vehicle in park facility
parking lots, except on official business or when attending a park
function.
(d)
No
person shall park or operate any truck-trailer, trailer, semitrailer,
pole-trailer in a park facility parking lot at any time, unless it
is there on official business.
(Ordinance 512-2010 adopted 10/21/10)
(a)
Animals prohibited.
No person shall hitch, fasten, lead,
or drive or let loose any animal, reptile or fowl of any kind. This
shall not apply to domestic animals when led by a static cord, chain,
or leash not more than ten (10) feet long or a retractable cord not
more than fifteen (15) feet long.
(b)
Animal display.
No person shall set up any display of
live animals, animal rides or animal shows in a city park.
(c)
Horse riding prohibited.
No person shall ride a horse
or any other animal in a city park.
(d)
Abandoning animals.
No person shall abandon any animal
in the park.
(e)
Harassing animals.
No unauthorized person shall hunt,
molest, harm, frighten, tease, shoot or throw missiles at any animal,
reptile or bird.
(f)
Harming animals.
No person shall give or offer or attempt
to give any animal or bird any tobacco, alcohol or other known toxic
injurious substance.
(g)
Dogs at large prohibited.
No person shall allow any
dog owned or possessed by him to run at large nor allow any such dog
in a park unless it shall at all times be kept on a leash, not more
than ten (10) feet long or a retractable cord not more than fifteen
(15) feet long. This prohibition shall not apply to a police service
dog while under the supervision of a duly authorized peace officer
in the performance of official duties. This does not include service
animals.
(h)
Defecating.
No person shall allow a domestic animal
to defecate in the park without immediate removal of the defecation.
(i)
Fishing.
Fishing shall be limited to catch and release.
Any person fishing must obtain a fishing license from the state parks
and wildlife department.
(j)
Injuring or removing animals.
No person shall place,
remove or injure any animal, domestic or wild, including, but not
limited to dogs, cats, cows, horses, birds, mammals, reptiles, fowls
and livestock, including the young of any wild animals or the eggs
or nest of any reptile or bird.
(Ordinance 512-2010 adopted 10/21/10)
(a)
Fires.
No person shall start or maintain in any park
any outdoor fire, except for cooking fires which shall be started
and maintained only in a picnic stove, braziers, fire pit or barbecue
pit. No person starting or maintaining any fire in a park shall leave
the fire unattended without first completely extinguishing the fire.
(b)
Military maneuvers prohibited.
Military maneuvers and
battle reenactments are prohibited in any park.
(c)
Personal interference.
No person shall prevent, disturb
or unreasonably interfere with any other persons occupying any area
or participating in any lawful activity allowed within the park. In
particular, without limitation, no person shall disturb in any manner
any picnic, meeting, service, concert, exercise or exhibition.
(d)
Sales.
No unauthorized person shall offer for sale or
hire any article, thing, service, food, drinks, confection or merchandise,
nor station or place any stand, cart or vehicle for the transportation,
sale or display of any article, thing, service, food, drink, confections
or merchandise. This section may be waived for city sponsored events,
or pursuant to written agreement with the city or by written permission
by the city manager, or her designee. No person shall advertise in
any way any article, thing or service for sale or hire, except in
conjunction with a permitted event.
(e)
Signs and advertising.
No unauthorized person shall
paste, glue, tack or otherwise place any sign, placard, advertisement
or inscription on park property or erect or cause to be erected any
sign on public lands, highways or roads adjacent to a park. No person
shall distribute, post, place or erect any static or mobile advertising,
handbill, circular, bill, notice, paper or other advertising device.
(f)
Dumping trash prohibited.
No person shall bring in or
shall dump, deposit or leave any bottles, broken glass, paper boxes,
cans, dirt, rubbish, waste, garbage or refuse, grass clippings, leaves
or other trash or unsightly matter in a city park. No refuse or trash
shall be placed in any waters in or contiguous to any city park, or
left anywhere on the grounds, but shall be placed in the proper receptacles
where these are provided; where receptacles are not so provided; all
rubbish or waste shall be carried away from the park by the person
responsible for its presence and properly disposed of elsewhere.
(g)
Damaging plants or trees prohibited.
No person shall
damage, cut, carve, transplant or remove any tree or plant or injure
the bark or pick the flowers or seeds of any tree or plant. Nor shall
any person attach any rope, wire or other contrivance to any tree
or plant. No person shall dig or otherwise disturb grass areas to
the detriment of these areas, or in any way injure or impair the natural
beauty or usefulness of any area, provided that normal use of grassed
areas will not be prohibited.
(h)
Excavation prohibited.
No person shall dig any soil,
rock, stones, trees, shrubs or plants, down timber or other wood materials,
or make any excavation by tool equipment, blasting or other means
or agency.
(i)
Hitting golf balls prohibited.
No person shall hit a
golf ball or golf balls in a city park.
(j)
Projectiles prohibited.
No person shall engage in activities
that involve thrown or otherwise propelled objects such as stones,
arrows, javelins, model airplanes, paintball projectiles or other
objects likely to inflict injury.
(k)
Model airplanes prohibited.
No person shall operate
a motor driven model airplane, including radio-controlled devices
(except radio controlled boats) or helicopter, parasail, hang glider
or hot air balloon.
(l)
Petitioning.
No person shall practice, carry on, conduct
or solicit for any trade, occupation, business or profession or to
circulate any petition of whatsoever kind or character.
(m)
Defacing park property prohibited.
No person shall willfully
mark, deface, disfigure, injure, tamper with or remove any buildings,
bridges, tables, benches, fireplaces, railings, paving or paving materials,
water lines or other public utilities or parts or appurtenances thereof,
signs, notices or placards, whether temporary or permanent, monuments,
stakes, posts or other boundary markers, or other structures or equipment,
facilities or park property appurtenances, whatsoever, either real
or personal.
(n)
Climbing on structures prohibited.
No person shall climb
any tree or walk, stand or sit upon monuments, vases, fountains, railings,
and fences or upon any property not designated or customarily used
for such purposes.
(o)
Erecting structures prohibited.
(p)
Loudspeakers.
No person shall use mechanical loudspeakers
or amplified music, sound, or voices unless authorized.
(q)
Polluting water prohibited.
No person shall throw, discharge
to or otherwise place or cause to be placed in the waters of any fountain,
pond, lake, stream or other body of water in or adjacent to any park
or any tributary, stream, storm sewer or drain flowing into such waters
any substance, matter or thing, liquid or solid, which will or may
result in the pollution of said waters.
(r)
Swimming.
No person shall swim, bathe, wade in or pollute
the water of any fountain, pond, lake or stream unless authorized.
(s)
Watercraft.
No person shall use or operate any motorboat,
boat, or watercraft on any creek, pond, lake or water within any park.
(Ordinance 512-2010 adopted 10/21/10)
(a)
Organized
activities such as tournaments, camps, and organized sporting activities
require a special permit issued by the city manager, or her designee,
to avoid conflicts with other approved scheduled events.
(b)
No
person shall advertise an event, meeting or activity or the time,
permitted hours, or usage of any event, meeting or activity to be
held or conducted in a park facility unless such event, meeting or
activity and advertisement of such event, meeting or activity and
time, permitted hours, or usage have been approved.
(c)
The
person, group or organization or entity reserving the use of a park
facility shall be responsible for all damages to city property and
for the cost of any park maintenance services, emergency or public
safety services, including police and fire, provided to, at or dispatched
to the park facility as a result of such person’s, group’s
or organization’s misuse, improper or unlawful use of the park
facility.
(Ordinance 512-2010 adopted 10/21/10)
The city manager, or her designee, is authorized to issue special
permits or grant variances to the provisions of this article. A special
permit variance shall not be granted by the city manager unless a
written request is submitted which demonstrates:
(1)
Special
circumstances exist which are peculiar to the applicant’s ability
to utilize city parks; and
(2)
That
use of the city park by other groups or individuals will not be adversely
affected by granting the special permit variance.
(Ordinance 512-2010 adopted 10/21/10)
No person shall violate any park rules, which are conspicuously
posted at or near the main entrance to a park or park facility.
(Ordinance 512-2010 adopted 10/21/10)
