Mobility & Curb Rules in Garland, TX

If you live in Garland or are thinking about moving there, mobility & curb rules are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Garland has 3 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of mobility & curb rules, and some of them might surprise you.

Bike Lane Rules

Garland has no ordinance addressing striped bike lanes specifically; instead §26.40 bars riding a bicycle on sidewalks within any commercial or business district and requires cyclists to yield to pedestrians wherever sidewalk riding is allowed, while §26.41 sets parking rules for bikes left on a street.

Key details: Sidewalk riding: Barred in commercial/business districts. Right-of-way: Cyclists must yield to pedestrians. Street parking: Curb or bike rack only. Parking standard: Least obstruction to traffic/pedestrians. Bike lanes: No dedicated police-code provision exists.

Riding a bicycle on a sidewalk within a Garland commercial or business district, failing to yield to a pedestrian while lawfully riding a sidewalk elsewhere, or parking a bicycle on a street other than against the curb or in a rack, in a way that obstructs pedestrians or traffic, is a violation of §§26.40-26.41 enforceable as a Chapter 26 offense.

The rules around bike lane rules in Garland lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Red-Light Cameras

Garland cannot operate red-light cameras. Texas Transportation Code 707.020 bans photographic traffic signal enforcement statewide, so no automated red-light citation can be issued anywhere in the city.

Key details: Governing law: Transp. Code 707.020. Status: Banned statewide. Effective: June 2, 2019 (HB 1631). Enforcer: Texas Attorney General. Live cameras: None.

Any camera-issued red-light citation is unenforceable. A city that installed such a system would face enforcement action by the Texas Attorney General under Transportation Code 707.020.

Garland is more permissive than most cities when it comes to red-light cameras. That said, there are still limits.

Shared E-Scooter Rules

Garland treats an abandoned rental bicycle or motorized scooter as a code violation, not just a nuisance. Code of Ordinances Section 32.53(N) makes it an offense for a shared scooter or bike to sit unmoved for more than 24 hours or block a street or sidewalk, and the City impounds violators and charges the rental company a reclamation fee to get them back.

Key details: Governing section: Code of Ordinances § 32.53(N). Abandonment trigger: Unmoved more than 24 hours. Blocking rule: Blocking a street or sidewalk is always an offense. Redemption window: 14 days before treated as abandoned. Who pays: Reclamation fee charged to the rental company.

Leaving a shared scooter or bicycle in violation of Section 32.53(N) results in City impoundment rather than a citation to the rider; the financial consequence lands on the rental company, which must pay a reclamation fee from the Master Fee and Rate Schedule within 14 days or forfeit the device as abandoned property.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, Garland gives residents more room on mobility & curb rules. 2 of the 3 rules here are rated permissive. But permissive does not mean unregulated. There are still requirements, and the city does enforce them when violations are reported.

These rules come from Garland's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.