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 Bicycle helmets Austin requires helmets for all bicycle riders within city limits who ride on public property. That includes streets, bike trails and parks. Violating the ordinance is a misdemeanor with a maximum $50 fine for a first conviction and $100 for subsequent convictions. The law is widely protested but meanwhile is being strictly enforced. Public camping ban Despite protests from advocates for the homeless, the city council has made it a crime to sleep or make preparations to sleep in a public area. The ban prohibits storing personal belongings, cooking, digging, making fires, and using tents or other structures for sleeping. The ban applies to streets, highways, parks, parking lots, alleys, sidewalks and the common areas of schools, hospitals, apartment buildings, office buildings, transport facilities and shops. Violations are misdemeanors carrying a maximum fine of $500. CurfewsUnsupervised children under 17 are not allowed in public places in Austin during school hours. The citywide daytime curfew starts at 9 a.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m., Monday through Friday when school is in session. Exceptions include children who are out of school on excused absences (which include open-campus lunch breaks), people under 17 who have a high school diploma or home-schooled students. In addition, a curfew prohibits unsupervised children under 17 from being on streets or in public places from 11:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Sunday through Thursday and 12:30 a.m. to 6 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Under the nighttime curfew, children are allowed to be on a sidewalk in front of their homes or the home of a neighbor. Two areas have earlier curfews: Downtown and Dove Springs. Children under 17 are prohibited from the downtown entertainment district, roughly the area from Congress Avenue to Interstate 35 between Fourth and Tenth streets, from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. The blocks surrounding the police headquarters and municipal court are exempted from the ordinance. The Dove Springs curfew covers an area of Southeast Austin bordered by Interstate 35, Ben White Boulevard, Scenic Loop, and the proposed Slaughter Lane extension. It applies from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, and from midnight to 6 a.m. on weekends. Children under 17 are prohibited from being on city streets, alleys, sidewalks, playgrounds, parks, or any place open to the public during curfew hours unless they are with their parents or guardians or are on an errand authorized by their parents, going directly home or participating in a religious or job-related activity. Vaccinations & registrationAustin requires dogs and cats to be vaccinated against rabies and registered with the city. Travis County, Williamson County, Hays County and most Central Texas towns require rabies vaccinations. Call your local animal control officer or veterinarian for more information. In Austin, failure to register a pet is a class C misdemeanor. Dangerous dogsUnder a state law, city and county officials can impound an animal at the owner's expense within 24 hours if the victim of a bite or scratch files an affidavit with municipal court. If the attack occurred while the animal was restrained, the victim must pay. The animal will be impounded until city officials receive a certificate by a veterinarian that the animal is free of rabies and has proper vaccinations. Health officials can revoke the registration of a dog if it is deemed dangerous at a hearing before a judge. Unleased dogs
Auditorium Shores from South First Street to Bouldin Avenue. Zilker Park in an area bounded by Stratford Drive, Barton Springs Road and Lou Neff Drive. Far West Boulevard right of way between Great Northern and Shoal Creek Boulevards. Surplus Robert Mueller Municipal Airport land bounded by Old Manor and Manor roads, Lovell Drive and the airport fence. Red Bud Isle east of Red Bud Trail. Onion Creek District Park, south of Chunn Road. Northeast District Park bounded by Decker Lake Road, Crystal Brook Drive and Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad right of way. Lake Austin Metropolitan Park, bounded by Park Drive, Turkey Creek and the top of the bluff overlooking Lake Austin. Shoal Creek hike and bike trail from 24th to 29th Streets. Walnut Creek District Park, in an area bounded by Cedar Bend Drive, Walnut Creek, park fences on the west and east sides of the park. |
