Sherman, TX Curfew Laws: Park Curfew (2026)

Section 1.11.068 of the Sherman Code of Ordinances sets a single closing window for the whole park system: 12:00 midnight until 4:00 a.m., every day of the week. Subsection (b) makes remaining on public park property during those hours unlawful, so the offense is staying, not just entering. Section 1.11.061 defines "playgrounds" to include any and all of the public grounds and parks in the city, which ties the hours to every city park.

Subsection (c) carves out two groups. The first is a person who has obtained a permit for overnight camping in Baker Park. Under § 1.11.204, all overnight camping, including shelters, is by permit only on a first-come, first-served basis, no campsite can be occupied by the same person or group for more than seven (7) days, and persons under sixteen (16) years of age cannot stay overnight unless accompanied by a parent or legal guardian or in a group supervised by a responsible adult. The second group is persons engaged in organized activities authorized by the parks and recreation department.

Herman Baker Park has its own overlapping rules in Division 6. Section 1.11.194 says no person can enter the park area during posted closing hours, and § 1.11.202 says the park is open only during posted hours. Section 1.11.203(d) bars nighttime vehicular traffic after closing hours except traffic of a necessary or emergency nature, and only park maintenance vehicles are permitted on trails or pathways. Section 1.11.204(c) adds quiet hours in the campgrounds: radios, phonographs, television sets and musical instruments cannot be played between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. in sleeping quarters or campgrounds.

Enforcement sits with the police department. Under § 1.11.182, the officers of the police department enforce Herman Baker Park's rules and can remove violators from the park, and a person told to depart who stays is punished under § 1.01.009. Park noise has a separate defense: § 8.07.005(4) protects reasonable activities in public parks from 7:00 a.m. through 10:00 p.m., which does not extend into the closed hours.