Amarillo's Public Conduct: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles public conduct a little differently. In Amarillo, Texas, there are 6 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Public Urination

Amarillo Code Sec. 10-3-42 makes it unlawful to urinate or defecate within public view or in any public place other than a bathroom or enclosure built for that purpose. Police cite offenders under the city's Miscellaneous Offenses chapter, with fines running up to $500 per incident.

Key details: Governing section: Sec. 10-3-42. Maximum fine: $500.00 per offense. Enforcement: Amarillo Police Department. Court: Amarillo Municipal Court. Origin: 1960 Code § 14-5.

A first offense is a Class C misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500.00 under Sec. 10-3-75. Each day, or part of a day, the conduct continues counts as a separate offense, so repeated citations can compound quickly. Cases are heard in Amarillo Municipal Court; there is no confinement penalty attached to this section.

Public Alcohol Use

Amarillo bans drinking near a parked vehicle in public under Sec. 10-3-43 and bans open containers outright inside a defined Central Business District zone under Sec. 10-3-44. Both carry the Chapter 10-3 penalty of up to $500.00 per offense, with narrow festival and restaurant exceptions.

Key details: Vehicle-adjacent drinking: Banned citywide, Sec. 10-3-43. Open containers: Banned in Central Business District, Sec. 10-3-44. Festival exemption: Up to 4-8 permitted festivals/year. Restaurant exemption: Licensed outdoor dining, alcohol ≤50% of sales. Maximum fine: $500.00 per offense.

Violating either section is a Class C misdemeanor under the chapter-wide penalty at Sec. 10-3-75, fined up to $500.00 per offense, with each day of a continuing violation treated separately. Amarillo Police Department officers issue citations, and cases are heard in Amarillo Municipal Court.

Outdoor Smoking Restrictions

Amarillo does not ban smoking across its parks generally, but its Parks Conduct ordinance bars tobacco and alcohol at specific times and places: during youth sport league games or tournaments, and inside the Amarillo Skate Park and Rick Klein Sports Complex facilities at any time.

Key details: Youth-game rule: No alcohol/tobacco during youth league games. Skate park rule: No tobacco products inside facility, ever. Sports complex rule: No tobacco/alcohol inside Rick Klein Complex. Max fine: $500 per offense (Sec. 1-1-5). Enforcement: Parks Director, police citation.

Violating any Chapter 12-7 park rule, including the tobacco restrictions, is a misdemeanor under Section 12-7-15(a), punishable by a fine under the citywide general penalty in Section 1-1-5, capped at $500 per offense, with each day of a continuing violation charged as a separate offense. The criminal penalty is independent of any permit revocation available under Section 12-7-8(h).

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Amarillo gives residents more flexibility on outdoor smoking restrictions.

Jaywalking

Amarillo pedestrians must use a marked crosswalk when crossing between two traffic-signal-controlled intersections, and the same crosswalk-only rule applies anywhere inside the business district. Crossing mid-block outside those areas is not restricted by this section, but jaywalking within its reach is a cited offense under the Traffic Code.

Key details: Crosswalk rule: Required between signalized intersections. Business district rule: Crosswalk required for every crossing. Narrow median restriction: 6 feet wide or less, no standing. Safety zone radius: 100 feet from signalized intersection. General penalty: Up to $500 fine, Sec. 1-1-5.

Crossing outside a marked crosswalk between signalized intersections, or anywhere but a crosswalk inside the business district, is a misdemeanor offense enforceable by Amarillo police, punishable under the Code's general penalty section, Sec. 1-1-5, with a fine of up to $500 per violation. Walking a restricted roadway segment posted under Sec. 16-3-313(e), or standing in a narrow median or safety zone under Sec. 16-3-315, adds separate, citable offenses.

Aggressive Panhandling

Amarillo makes it an offense to stand on or near a roadway to solicit a ride, money, employment, or business from people inside passing vehicles. The rule targets roadside panhandling and hitchhiking rather than sidewalk begging, and sits inside the Traffic Code's pedestrian-conduct article.

Key details: Restricted conduct: Soliciting rides, money, work from vehicles. Location covered: On or near a roadway. Repealed prior ordinance: Sec. 10-3-41, repealed March 12, 2024. General penalty: Up to $500 fine per offense. Enforcing agency: Amarillo Police Department.

Standing in or near the roadway to flag down vehicle occupants for a ride, money, work, or business is a misdemeanor under Sec. 16-3-313(c), enforced by the Amarillo Police Department and punishable under the Code's general penalty section, Sec. 1-1-5, with a fine of up to $500 per offense and each day of continued violation counted separately.

Compared to other cities, Amarillo takes a harder line on aggressive panhandling. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Skateboarding Rules

Amarillo traffic code keeps anyone on rollerskates, a coaster, or similar toy vehicle off city roadways except while crossing at a crosswalk, and the Amarillo Skate Park sets separate on-site rules for skateboards, rollerskates and bikes.

Key details: Roadway rule: No rollerskates/coasters on roadways. Crosswalk exception: Pedestrian rights/duties apply crossing. Skate park allowed items: Roller skates, skateboards, bicycles only. Skate park bans: Bike pegs, wet-surface use, tobacco, glass. Skate park misdemeanor fine: Up to $500 (Sec. 1-1-5).

A rollerskate or coaster roadway violation under Section 16-3-351 is enforced under the general traffic offense provisions of Chapter 16-3. A skate park rule violation under Section 12-7-11 is a Chapter 12-7 misdemeanor under Section 12-7-15(a), fined up to $500 per offense under the citywide general penalty in Section 1-1-5(a), with each continuing day a separate offense.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Amarillo gives residents more flexibility on skateboarding rules.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, Amarillo gives residents more room on public conduct. 2 of the 6 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.

Keep in mind that Amarillo can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.