Homelessness & Encampment Rules in Dallas, TX (2026)
3 verified homelessness & encampment rules for Dallas, Texas, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
LAMC §41.18 Encampment Rule
Dallas makes it a criminal offense to sleep or doze in a street, alley, park, or other public place, or in a vacant lot next to a public street or highway. City Code Sec. 31-13 has stood since 1974 and remains the city's core anti-camping enforcement tool alongside the newer public-property shelter ban.
Dallas Bans Sleeping in Streets and Parks
Significant RestrictionsDallas City Code Sec. 31-13
SEC. 31-13. SLEEPING IN A PUBLIC PLACE. (a) A person commits an offense if he: (1) sleeps or dozes in a street, alley, park, or other public place; or (2) sleeps or dozes in a vacant lot adjoining a public street or highway. (b) It is a defense to prosecution under Subparagraph (2) of this section if the person owns the vacant lot or has the consent of the owner to sleep or doze on the vacant l...
Sit-Lie Rules
Dallas City Code Chapter 31 restricts sitting or lying on public sidewalks in central business district hours and near schools, but Martin v. Boise and the Grants Pass framework limit enforcement when shelter is unavailable, requiring outreach offers first.
Dallas Sit-Lie Limits Under Chapter 31 Constitutional Constraints
Light RestrictionsTexas Penal Code Sec. 42.03 - Obstructing Highway or Other Passageway
Sec. 42.03. OBSTRUCTING HIGHWAY OR OTHER PASSAGEWAY. (a) A person commits an offense if, without legal privilege or authority, he intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly:(1) obstructs a highway, street, sidewalk, railway, waterway, elevator, aisle, hallway, entrance, or exit to which the public or a substantial group of the public has access, or any other place used for the passage of persons, ...
Encampment Sanitation
Setting up a tent on Dallas city property is a criminal offense. Section 31-13.1 of the city code bars placing, erecting, or maintaining any temporary shelter on designated public land such as parks, city hall plaza, the convention center, or vacant city-owned lots. Officers must first warn the person and give one hour to clear out before issuing a citation carrying up to a $500 fine.
Dallas Prohibits Tents on City Property
Significant RestrictionsDallas City Code Sec. 31-13.1
SEC. 31-13.1. PROHIBITION ON THE UNAUTHORIZED PLACEMENT, ERECTION, OR MAINTENANCE OF TEMPORARY SHELTERS ON DESIGNATED PUBLIC PROPERTY. (a)(2) TEMPORARY SHELTER means any tent or other type of portable or impermanent structure, whether manufactured or makeshift, in or under which a person can be sheltered or partially sheltered from the elements. (b) A person commits an offense if th...
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County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Dallas city rules.
Homelessness & Encampment Rules in Dallas County →