Plano, TX Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)

Plano's pedestrian-safety article, adopted by Ord. No. [s]tand, sit, or loiter on a roadway median that measures less than six (6) feet' or to 'approach a motor vehicle being operated on a major thoroughfare, freeway or access road,' per § 12-31. The chapter's definitions section pins down what counts: 'loiter' means 'to linger or remain on a median for any purpose other than actively crossing a street or other roadway to reach a destination on the opposite side of the street,' and a 'major thoroughfare' is any roadway, divided or undivided, with six or more marked lanes.

In practice the ordinance targets people standing on narrow center medians to panhandle, sell goods, or otherwise linger next to fast-moving traffic, exactly the kind of median under six feet that leaves no safe buffer from vehicles. The section is not absolute: § 12-31(b) lists five defenses to prosecution, including lawfully and directly crossing a divided roadway, acting to prevent imminent bodily injury or death, rendering or receiving emergency aid, doing permitted right-of-way work under Chapter 19, and city, state, or federal employees or contractors performing health-and-safety work such as police, fire, or utility maintenance. Someone genuinely crossing the street, rather than lingering, is not committing the offense because the definition of 'loiter' expressly excludes that conduct.