The following words, terms, and phrases, when used in this article, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:
Department
means the City of Irving Parks and Recreation Department.
Designee
means any parks and recreation employee to whom the Director has granted authority to make decisions on their behalf.
Director
means the director of City of Irving Department of Parks and Recreation.
Game field
means a field that has been designated by the director to be used only for the purpose of conducting league play or tournament play.
Motor vehicle
means a self-propelled vehicle subject to the registration requirements of the Chapter 502 of the Texas Transportation Code.
Motorized device
means any device with a battery, electric or gas motor that does not fall under the definition of "motor vehicle" under this Code, including motorized scooters and electric bicycles. This definition, however, does not include any device designed to assist a person who has a physical disability with mobility.
Nonresident
means a person who lives outside the city of Irving.
Nonresident team
means a team made up of less than fifty-one (51) percent resident players.
Outdoor athletic facilities
include but are not limited to lighted and unlighted playing fields and courts programmed for the purpose of conducting practices, league play, tournaments, meets, camps, and clinics for competitive and recreational sports that include but are not limited to soccer, football, baseball, softball, lacrosse, cricket, and rugby or any such use as deemed appropriate by the parks and recreation department.
Park facility
means any land, areas, buildings, and facilities that are owned, leased, or otherwise controlled by the department, including but not limited to city parks, athletic fields, playgrounds, restrooms, pavilions, the Heritage Senior Center, aquatics facilities, recreation centers, recreational trails, stages, as well as city owned open space, plazas, or areas programmed and maintained by the parks and recreation department.
Practice field
means any field or portion of a park that has been designated for any sport activity, not otherwise designated as a game field.
Resident
means a person who lives within the City of Irving, or in the case of a church sponsored team, worships within the City of Irving.
Season
means a recurrent period of time characterized by league practices and games associated with registration fees for a particular sport as agreed upon by the designated representative from both parties.
(Ordinance 2022-10641, § 1, adopted 9/15/2022)
(a) 
Each city park shall have the hours in which it is open and closed to the public posted at the entrance to the park. It shall be unlawful for any person to be in a city park facility at any time except during the hours posted. It shall be unlawful to trespass on any facility after designated operation hours.
(b) 
The parks and recreation department may designate particular locations within park facilities for specific activities and may prohibit specific conduct in designated locations by the posting of notice. It shall be unlawful for any person to use such premises in violation of the posting.
(c) 
Parks and recreation departmental staff may close a facility or field at any time for purposes of maintenance, safety or to protect the surface of the facility, playing field, or game field from damage. Gated facilities are considered closed when the gates to the facility are not open. Non-gated facilities will be posted with signage. It shall be unlawful to use closed facilities/fields.
(d) 
The director of parks and recreation or designee may designate fields as game fields and shall post thereon a sign stating such designation. It shall be unlawful to go upon a field which has been designated as game field without authorization from the parks and recreation department.
(e) 
The parks and recreation department shall control all concession rights for all parks and facilities. It shall be unlawful for a group or individual to sell or offer for sale any food, drinks, confections, merchandise, or services, unless provided through a city concessions contract, facility use agreement, or as allowed by a special event permit issued under Chapter 33B.
(f) 
It shall be unlawful to camp overnight on any park property unless it is part of a city provided program.
(g) 
It shall be unlawful to use a city-owned or operated facility, structure, equipment, furniture, architectural feature, or natural feature for any purpose or in any manner other than that for which a reasonable person would believe it was designed or intended to be used.
(h) 
It shall be unlawful to hit golf balls at any time in a park facility not designated as a golf course.
(i) 
It shall be unlawful to possess in or upon a park or park facility or premises a handgun, air gun, paintball gun, slingshot or any other device that could project any object that is hazardous or dangerous to the public, unless authorized by state law. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit or restrict the lawful carrying or possession of a firearm pursuant to state law.
(j) 
It shall be unlawful to recklessly or intentionally destroy, insure, deface, remove, or alter any park facilities, unless performed by an authorized employee or vendor within the scope of their duties.
(k) 
It shall be unlawful to cut or gather trees or parts of trees or remove wood from park facilities and it shall be unlawful to attach any cable, wire, rope, sign or any object to any city tree, plant, or shrub unless performed by an authorized employee or vendor within the scope of their duties.
(l) 
It shall be unlawful to drill, mine or otherwise remove any mineral from any park facility.
(m) 
It shall be unlawful to use or operate a metal detector in a city park without authorization from the director of parks and recreation or designee.
(n) 
Maintenance of all facilities owned by the city will be performed or scheduled by the parks and recreation department. It shall be unlawful to make any modifications, alterations, additions, or deletions, temporary or otherwise to any facility scheduled by the city unless written approval is obtained from the parks and recreation department.
(Ordinance 2022-10641, § 1, adopted 9/15/2022)
All applicable state and local vehicle and traffic laws and ordinances shall continue in full force and effect in all park facilities.
(1) 
A person commits an offense by parking a motor vehicle, other than a city-owned vehicle, within a park facility at any place not designated as a parking area. Citations may be issued and the motor vehicle may be towed and stored at the owner or operator's expense in accordance with state law.
(2) 
It shall be unlawful to operate a vehicle off an authorized roadway, including taking any vehicle through, around or beyond a restrictive sign, recognizable barricade, fence, or traffic control barrier.
(3) 
It shall be unlawful for any person to ride, use, or operate any horse, motorcycle, motor scooter, ATV, RTV, or any other motorized device in and upon the public parks or trails of the city, except in certain areas, drives, trails and pathways specifically designated by the director of parks and recreation for such purpose.
(Ordinance 2022-10641, § 1, adopted 9/15/2022)
(a) 
No person shall operate a drone [Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle (UAV), Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), or other motorized model aircraft including radio-controlled devices] in a park or preserve owned or operated by the city except in specifically designated areas at the following parks.
(1) 
Mountain Creek Preserve.
(2) 
Running Bear Park.
(3) 
Sam Houston Trail Park.
(b) 
No person shall operate a drone or model aircraft outside the hours when the park is open or in an unsafe manner, and it must be operated within the eyesight of the operator and at a safe distance away from other park users.
(c) 
Drone or model aircraft operators shall adhere to all federal and state laws/regulations regarding operations of drones and model aircraft.
(Ordinance 2022-10641, § 1, adopted 9/15/2022)
(a) 
It shall be an offense for any person to ride, drive, lead, or release any animal, reptile, fish, or bird of any kind in or on any park facility, except as posted.
(b) 
It shall be unlawful to abandon any animal in or on any park facility.
(c) 
Animals are prohibited in restroom facilities or other areas so designated by the parks and recreation department, with the exception of service animals.
(d) 
All animal waste shall be removed by the person attending to the animal.
(e) 
Animals are to be controlled or restrained in accordance with Chapter 6 of the City of Irving Code of Ordinances.
(Ordinance 2022-10641, § 1, adopted 9/15/2022)
(a) 
A person commits an offense if they swim, bathe, wade, dive or go into the water of a river, stream, pond, lake, drainage area, or water course, either natural or artificial.
(b) 
Boats, vessels, or watercraft (including radio-controlled vessels) are prohibited on park waters except the waters of the Trinity River adjacent to Campion Trails.
(c) 
Fishing.
(1) 
Recreational fishing is permitted. A valid fishing license is required for ages seventeen (17) and older, by legal means as defined by Texas Parks and Wildlife, in the following designated areas only.
a. 
Centennial Park.
b. 
Cottonwood Park.
c. 
Fritz Park.
d. 
Northwest Park.
e. 
Senter Park.
f. 
Thomas Jefferson Park.
g. 
Towne Lake Park.
h. 
Victoria Park.
(2) 
No person shall engage in the business of catching or taking fish or game from parks or water controlled by the City of Irving for the purpose of sale.
(Ordinance 2022-10641, § 1, adopted 9/15/2022)
(a) 
Garbage, trash, rubbish, litter or any other waste material or waste liquid generated in a park and incidental to authorized recreational activities shall either be removed from the park or deposited in receptacles provided for that purpose. It shall be unlawful to improperly dispose of such waste, including human and animal waste.
(b) 
Where public receptacles are not provided, all such litter shall be carried away from the park by the person responsible for its presence and properly disposed of elsewhere.
(c) 
No glass containers shall be permitted in a park or park facility.
(d) 
It shall be unlawful for any person to throw or deposit litter in any fountain, pond, lake, stream, bay, or any other body of water in a park or elsewhere within the city.
(Ordinance 2022-10641, § 1, adopted 9/15/2022)
(a) 
It shall be unlawful for any person to start, maintain or permit an open fire upon property in any park in the city except in designated authorized areas such as a public stove, grill, fire pit, or other designated area provided for that purpose.
(b) 
It shall be unlawful to leave a fire unattended.
(c) 
It shall be unlawful to carry onto or store gasoline and other fuels (except that which is contained in storage tanks of vehicles, vessels, camping equipment, or hand portable containers designed for such purpose) in a park facility.
(d) 
Fires must be completely extinguished prior to departure from a park facility.
(e) 
It shall be unlawful to burn materials that produce toxic fumes, including but not limited to tires, plastic, or treated wood products.
(f) 
It shall be unlawful to dispose of lighted or smoking materials, matches or other burning material on park property.
(Ordinance 2022-10641, § 1, adopted 9/15/2022)