Public Conduct in Austin, TX (2026)
5 verified public conduct rules for Austin, Texas, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Aggressive Panhandling
Austin City Code Chapter 9-2 prohibits aggressive solicitation, including approaching ATMs, intersections, and outdoor diners, while Texas Penal Code Section 22.06 governs threatening contact; passive panhandling itself remains protected speech under the First Amendment after Reed v. Town of Gilbert.
Austin Aggressive Solicitation Rules Plus Texas Assault Statute
Some RestrictionsTex. Transp. Code Sec. 552.007
Sec. 552.007. SOLICITATION BY PEDESTRIANS. (a) A person may not stand in a roadway to solicit a ride, contribution, employment, or business from an occupant of a vehicle, except that a person may stand in a roadway to solicit a charitable contribution if authorized to do so by the local authority having jurisdiction over the roadway. (b) A person may not stand on or near a highway to solicit th...
Public Urination
Austin City Code Title 10 disorderly conduct provisions and Texas Penal Code Section 42.01 reach public urination through indecent exposure and disorderly conduct charges; Sixth Street and downtown districts see heaviest enforcement during late-night hours.
Public Urination Citable Under Austin Disorderly Conduct Code
Some RestrictionsTex. Penal Code Sec. 42.01(a)(10)-(11)
Sec. 42.01. DISORDERLY CONDUCT. (a) A person commits an offense if he intentionally or knowingly: ... (10) exposes his anus or genitals in a public place and is reckless about whether another may be present who will be offended or alarmed by his act; or (11) for a lewd or unlawful purpose: (A) enters on the property of another and looks into a dwelling on the property through any window or othe...
Loud Party Ordinance
Austin Noise Ordinance Chapter 9-2 prohibits unreasonable noise after 10 p.m. on weeknights and 10:30 p.m. weekends; second-response loud-party calls within 12 hours trigger cost-recovery billing of the host plus class C misdemeanor citations.
Austin Loud Party Cost Recovery Plus Decibel Enforcement
Some RestrictionsTex. Penal Code Sec. 42.01(a)(5)-(6)
Sec. 42.01. DISORDERLY CONDUCT. (a) A person commits an offense if he intentionally or knowingly: ... (5) makes unreasonable noise in a public place other than a sport shooting range, as defined by Section 250.001, Local Government Code, or in or near a private residence that he has no right to occupy; (6) fights with another in a public place.
Outdoor Smoking Restrictions
Austin Code Chapter 10-6 has banned smoking in indoor workplaces, restaurants, bars, and public buildings since the 2005 voter-approved Smoke-Free Workplace Ordinance, plus designated outdoor zones near entrances, parks, playgrounds, and city-funded venues; vaping is included.
Austin Smoke-Free Public Places Ordinance Since 2005
Some RestrictionsJaywalking
Texas Transportation Code Section 552.005 requires pedestrians crossing outside marked crosswalks or intersections to yield right-of-way to vehicles; Austin enforces this state statute selectively, with no separate municipal jaywalking ordinance and growing pressure to decriminalize.
Texas Jaywalking Rule: Pedestrians Yield Outside Crosswalks
Few RestrictionsTex. Transp. Code Sec. 552.005 (Crossing at Point Other Than Crosswalk)
Sec. 552.005. CROSSING AT POINT OTHER THAN CROSSWALK. (a) A pedestrian shall yield the right-of-way to a vehicle on the highway if crossing a roadway at a place: (1) other than in a marked crosswalk or in an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection; or (2) where a pedestrian tunnel or overhead pedestrian crossing has been provided. (b) Between adjacent intersections at which traffic control signal...
Looking for Travis County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Austin city rules.
Public Conduct in Travis County →