Dallas, TX Parking Rules: Dibs & Space Saving (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Dallas City Code Sec. 28-77
- Covers
- Signs, cones, chairs, any reserving device
- Also banned
- Verbal or gesture reservations, Sec. 28-77(b)
- Maximum fine
- $500 per offense (Sec. 28-20)
- Original ordinances
- Ord. Nos. 14584 and 15194
Summary
Dallas City Code Sec. 28-77 makes it an offense to reserve an on-street parking space for an adjoining property owner or that owner's customers. The ban covers physical objects placed on the sidewalk, curb, or street, and it separately bans reserving a space by nothing more than a verbal statement or a gesture.
(a) On street for adjoining property owners and customers. A person commits an offense if without lawful authority, he places, maintains, or displays upon or in view of a public sidewalk, curb, or street, a sign, signal, marking, or device which indicates reserved parking space for adjoining owners or for customers of the adjoining owners upon the street or in areas recessed from the street which require use of the street for maneuvering. (b) Verbal statement or gesture. A person commits an offense if without lawful authority, he attempts to reserve a parking space upon a street for an adjoining owner by statement or gesture.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 28-77(a) targets the classic "dibs" move directly: without lawful authority, a person may not "place, maintain, or displays upon or in view of a public sidewalk, curb, or street, a sign, signal, marking, or device" that indicates a reserved parking space for an adjoining owner or that owner's customers, including recessed areas that require street maneuvering. A cone, folding chair, sawhorse, trash can, or hand-lettered sign left in a Dallas street to hold a curb spot for a nearby house or business falls squarely inside that language.
Subsection (b) then closes the obvious workaround: even without any object, a person commits an offense if he attempts to reserve a street space for an adjoining owner "by statement or gesture," again without lawful authority. Both subsections trace to the city's original 1961 traffic code, Ordinance 14584, refined by Ordinance 15194. "Lawful authority" is the key exception, covering situations like a city-issued loading zone, valet permit, or special-event street closure where the city itself has authorized the reservation. Because Sec. 28-77 lists no penalty of its own, the Chapter 28 general penalty in Sec.
28-20 sets the consequence: a fine of up to $500 per offense. Enforcement runs through the parking enforcement division created under Sec. 28-19, whose officers are authorized to issue citations for any parking violation citywide and to have vehicles or obstructions removed as needed to keep the space open for public use.
Violations & Fines
Because Sec. 28-77 carries no penalty of its own, the Chapter 28 general penalty in Sec. 28-20 applies: a fine of up to $500 per offense. Dallas parking enforcement officers, authorized under Sec. 28-19, can cite anyone who places a cone, chair, sign, or similar device on a sidewalk, curb, or street to hold a space, or who reserves one by statement or gesture alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put a cone or chair in the street to save a Dallas parking spot?
What if I just tell people the spot is taken instead of using an object?
What's the penalty if I'm cited under Sec. 28-77?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dallas
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