Texas Transportation Code Section 552.005 requires pedestrians outside marked crosswalks to yield to oncoming vehicles. Houston Police continue to cite jaywalkers, unlike California's Freedom to Walk reform, with base fines around $100 plus court costs.
Texas Transportation Code Section 552.005 governs pedestrian crossings outside marked crosswalks. Pedestrians must yield to vehicles unless they are within an intersection or marked crosswalk and crossing where adjacent intersections have traffic-control signals must use a crosswalk. Texas, unlike California, has not relaxed jaywalking enforcement, and Houston Police continue to cite walkers crossing mid-block on busy thoroughfares like Westheimer, Main, and Washington. Citations are typically Class C misdemeanors. Houston has launched Vision Zero pedestrian-safety campaigns since 2019 emphasizing driver yielding under Section 552.003, but those efforts focus on infrastructure rather than reducing pedestrian citations. Failure to appear in municipal court can trigger an FTA hold on a driver license.
Class C misdemeanor with base fine around $100 plus court assessments pushing total cost above $200. Failure to appear in municipal court can trigger FTA holds on a driver license and warrant issuance.
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See how Houston's jaywalking rules stack up against other locations.
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