Part of a safe and united community is the agreement between neighbors to obey the law. Above and beyond our communities deed restrictions, the State of Texas has a number of laws on the books that would serve to remind our neighbors that the rule of law is important to all of us. That said, I want to provide you with some references to look over and then I would encourage you to take action when necessary. Mind you, much of what I will cover, law enforcement is not likely to do anything about unless you say something about it. For simplicity, I’ve paraphrased the language so as to be best understood. The commentary is my own. For the official language, refer to the Texas Transportation Code, Section. 545. I will list the reference to the particular subsection with each.
545.302(a) – It is unlawful for anyone to park their vehicle on the sidewalk. This includes vehicles parked in driveways that block the sidewalk.
Please pull your vehicles further in your driveways. If they are too long, park them in the street.545.302(b) – It is unlawful for anyone to park their vehicle:
- Directly in front of a driveway; Be considerate of your neighbors.
- Within 15 feet of a fire hydrant; You really don’t want to mess with the fire department on this one.
- Within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection; Our kids (and parents too) need to be visible to drivers. If you are too close to the crosswalk, they are less likely to be seen, and more likely to be hit by a passing car.
- Within 30 feet from a stop sign or traffic signal; This is just plain common sense. If you are parked too close to the sign, people may not see it or understand why you are stopping. Let’s give our stop signs (and signals) some space.
545.303 (a) – It is unlawful for a vehicle to stop or be parked on the left-side of a two-way road; In other words, if you park in front of yours or anyone else’s home, make sure you are parked with your right side wheels parallel and within 18 inches of the right-side curb.
545.305(a) – Police may be justified to have your vehicle towed if:
- Unattended and obstructing traffic; This is a no-brainer. Don’t block traffic.
- Unlawfully parked and blocking the entrance to a private driveway; Be considerate of your neighbors. Don’t block them in.
(5) Deemed abandoned for longer than 48 hours; If your car looks like it’s broke, get it fixed or you’ll probably get towed.
(6) Disabled (broke down) and the owner is not in the immediate vicinity; Same as above. Keep all your vehicles in good repair so people don’t think they are broken down. Otherwise, you’ll be paying to get it out of a storage lot.
545.307 (b) – It is unlawful for the overnight parking of any commercial vehicle on county maintained roads;
- Located inside a residential subdivision;
- Within 1000 feet of the property line of a residence, school, place of worship, or park;
The law states that overnight is considered from 10 pm until 6 am. If you are unsure if your vehicle is considered a commercial vehicle, please review the state’s definitions for what a commercial vehicle is, in Texas Transportation Code 522.003 (Definitions) and 541.201 (Vehicles).
If you see a violation of the law as described above, please contact the Harris County Precinct 2 Constable’s Office on their non-emergency number. Their contact information can be found on their website, https://hccp2.com/. Let’s all work together to make our community better. Like they said back in the day, “knowledge is power.” Now that you have the knowledge, you have the power to make a change!
-shw
