Rules and Safety

(a) For County parks requiring a day use fee, no person shall enter or remain without paying the applicable fees.

(b) Camping is only permitted in designated areas of County parks.

(c) No person shall camp in any overnight County park for more than seven (7) days or in multiple overnight parks for more than fourteen (14) days during any 30-day period.

Park Resource Protection

1. Visitors are prohibited from altering, carving, defacing, painting, or otherwise marking any tree, fence, rock, building, or other natural or man-made structure on County park property.
2. Visitors are prohibited from altering, damaging, or destroying any barrier, lock, door, camera, fence, gate, lighting, traffic control device, or other Travis County property.
3. Waste and Littering
   1. No outside garbage, liquids, or other types of waste may be dumped or discarded in any County park.
   2. Garbage associated with County park use must be deposited in containers provided by the County park or removed from the park.
4. Archaeological, Paleontological, and Historical Features
   1. Archaeological, paleontological, and historical artifacts and features of any character located in, on, or under Travis County parkland must not be disturbed or removed.
   2. Except when authorized, entry into any historical structure, or climbing on, through, or over a structure to gain entry, is prohibited.
5. Animals
   Visitors are prohibited from disturbing, feeding, harming, collecting, hunting, restraining, trapping, or releasing animals.
6. Natural Materials
   1. No person shall damage, destroy, disturb, or remove any timber, grass, shrubs, dirt, vegetation, rock, sand, gravel, caliche, or other similar substances or geologic features from any County park or park property.
   2. Plants may not be brought into any County park or other park property.
   3. Cutting and/or gathering firewood or other material capable of combustion is prohibited.
   4. Edible plants or fruit may be collected for personal consumption if doing so will not harm the plant or tree.

1. Abandonment of personal property in a County park is strictly prohibited.
2. Any vehicle, boat, trailer, or other property left in a County park for more than twenty-four (24) hours is considered abandoned and may be confiscated, destroyed, removed, and stored at the owner’s expense as permitted by state law.
3. Travis County Parks may remove personal property if it presents an immediate and significant threat to human life, public safety, or the environment.

1. Public display of the consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited except for approved special events with access limited to adults at least twenty-one (21) years of age and older.
2. Sale of alcoholic beverages is prohibited in every County park.
3. Intoxicated persons are prohibited in County parks.
4. Visitors who become intoxicated will be removed.
5. Alcoholic beverages are prohibited at all youth events.
6. Consumption of alcoholic beverages by participants and officials is prohibited at sporting events.
7. Failure to comply could result in removal from the park, issuance of a criminal trespass warning, and filing of criminal charges, if applicable.

Adults are responsible for their minor children’s actions.

1. Use of drones is permitted if:
   1. The operator has complied with all Federal Aviation Administration policies and rules regarding the use of drones, recognizing that many parks are within prohibited airspace near airports.
   2. The drone does not interfere with other park visitors’ enjoyment of the area.
   3. The drone is operated in a safe and discrete manner so as not to pose a safety or security threat.
2. Operators shall have in their possession and provide proof of licensing for the drone being operated, if required.
3. No drone is permitted for use between dusk and dawn or during inclement weather conditions.
4. Drones are not permitted in any County park with signage indicating that drones are not permitted.
5. Drones are not permitted to be operated in a manner that could reasonably be determined to disturb other visitors or adjacent residents.
6. Use of a drone in any park with signage indicating an emergency helicopter landing zone located inside the park must receive prior approval through the special event application process before flying the drone.

(a) An electric bicycle or e-bike is defined as “a two or three-wheeled cycle with fully operable pedals and an electric motor of less than 750 watts that provides propulsion assistance.” This definition is consistent with the definition of “electric bicycle” in the Consumer Product Safety Act. Electric bicycles are divided into a three-class system that limits the maximum assisted speed of an e-bike:

(1) Class 1 electric bicycle means an electric bicycle equipped with a motor that provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling, and that ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of 20 miles per hour.

(2) Class 2 electric bicycle means an electric bicycle equipped with a motor that may be used exclusively to propel the bicycle, and that is not capable of providing assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of 20 miles per hour.

(3) Class 3 electric bicycle means an electric bicycle equipped with a motor that provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling, and that ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of 28 miles per hour.

(b) Class 1 and Class 2 electric bicycles are permitted on designated bicycle trails and must be operated in a manner so as not to be a danger to others or damage the environment or grass surfaces.

(c) Other electrified conveyances, including golf carts and other multi-wheel electric vehicles, are only permitted to operate on sidewalks with sufficient width to accommodate the conveyance while not interfering with the flow of pedestrian traffic.

(d) Electric bikes and other electrified conveyances are strictly prohibited where signs indicate.

(e) This section is not intended to apply to electric motor vehicles legally permitted to operate on public roadways.

(a) Fires Prohibited

(1) At the discretion of Travis County Parks staff, fires may be prohibited during hazardous conditions. All fires are prohibited during a County burn ban. Any fire that is started or ignited by a park visitor during a County burn ban will result in an immediate confiscation of park permit(s) and eviction of the park visitor from the County park and issuance of a criminal trespass warning as set forth in section 232.010.

(2) When hazardous conditions are present, unless stated to the contrary, only propane stoves or charcoal are permitted for use.

(3) No fires, stoves, or cooking of any kind are permitted in Hamilton Pool Preserve, Pogue Springs or Wild Basin Preserve.

(4) No ground fires outside of designated fire rings or grills are permitted.

(b) Fires Permitted

(1) Fires are permitted in camp stoves, grills, and fireplaces.

(2) Ground fires are permitted in designated areas only and must be maintained in a safe and controlled manner at all times.

(c) All fires and any ignited materials must be extinguished before leaving.

(a) Except as permitted by state law, no person may display or possess a firearm or other weapon in any County park.

(b) Discharging of any device from which shot, a projectile, arrow, or bolt is fired by the force of an explosion, compressed air, gas, or mechanical device to include, but not limited to rifle, shotgun, handgun, air rifle, pellet gun, longbow, cross bow, sling shot, blow gun, or dart gun is strictly prohibited.

(c) Use of bow and arrow is only permitted for sporting purposes in County parks that expressly authorize the use of a bow and arrow.

(d) An exception may be permitted for events approved through the special event application process and only with proper declaration of the intended use, submission of detailed safety plans, and approval of other governmental agencies, if required.

(a) Ignition of fireworks in any park is prohibited.

(b) An exception may be permitted for events approved through the special event application process and only with proper declaration of the intended use, submission of detailed safety plans, and approval of other governmental agencies, if required.

No person shall bring into or use glass containers in any area of the County parks.

Use of metal detectors and other detection devices are prohibited in County parks without approval through the special event application process.

(a) All vehicles shall be properly parked in designated parking spots only.

(b) Parking on unimproved areas such as grass or other unpaved areas is prohibited unless signage or park staff specifically authorize doing so.

(c) Except for County parks authorizing overnight camping, vehicles are not permitted to remain in parks overnight. An exception can be made by the Parks Director (or designee) if granted approval through the special event application process.

(a) Pets

(1) Pets are defined as dogs and cats. All pets must be kept under direct control and attached to a person or fixed object at all times by a leash not to exceed six (6) feet in length.

(2) Pets shall not be left unattended or constitute a nuisance.

(3) Noisy, vicious, or dangerous pets are not permitted.

(4) Pets are not permitted in Hamilton Pool Preserve, McGregor/Hippie Hollow Park, Pogue Springs, and Tom Hughes Park. Service dogs may be allowed in these designated County parks if guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act are followed, and the service dog is needed because of a disability. Emotional support dogs are not permitted in the County parks listed in this subsection.

(5) Other pets and animals, such as barnyard animals, exotics, llamas, mules, donkeys, goats, and wild animals are not permitted in any park. An exception may be permitted in limited instances for events approved through the special event application process.

(6) Pet owners are responsible for removal of any waste left by their pet.

(b) Horses

(1) Horses are permitted at Northeast Metropolitan Park, Pace Bend Park, Reimer’s Ranch, and Webberville Park. All horses must have verifiable Coggins papers.

(2) Northeast Metropolitan Park Equestrian Areas are for special groups only. Prior approval is required.

(3) Owners are responsible for the removal of any waste left by their horse.

(4) Except for loading and unloading, conveyances transporting horses shall not be parked in a way that hinders flow of traffic.

(5) Owners/riders are responsible for ensuring their horse does not interfere with park visitors and must maintain control of them at all times.

(a) Motorized vehicles must remain on designated roadways and parking areas.

(b) Motor vehicles not licensed for street use are prohibited in any County park.

(c) Only two (2) motor vehicles are permitted per designated campsite.

(d) All motor vehicles and trailers must park in designated areas only and may not impede the flow of traffic.

(e) Motor vehicles operated on roadways inside parks must obey all posted speed limits, traffic signs or signals, other traffic control devices, and vehicle lighting requirements as if operated on a public roadway.

(a) General Rules

(1) Only watercraft and boat trailers in compliance with all applicable local and state laws are permitted in parks.

(2) All launching and retrieval of watercraft must be done in a safe manner.

(3) All trailered or motorized watercraft must be launched at designated boat ramps or boat launch areas only.

(4) Watercraft are prohibited from mooring to park buoys.

(b) Standards of Conduct for Commercial Boat Operators

(1) All trailered or motorized watercraft must be launched at designated boat ramps or boat launch areas only.

(2) Trailers must remain attached to the towing units and can’t be disconnected or left on parks property overnight.

(3) Only watercraft and boat trailers in compliance with all applicable local and state laws are permitted in parks.

(4) All launching and retrieval of watercraft must be done in a safe manner.

(5) All motor vehicles and trailers must be properly parked in designated parking spots when parked inside the park.

(6) When booths are operational, all permittees engaging in commercial boat operations must stop at the booth and declare entry before proceeding into the park. This does not apply to Mary Quinlan Park in which case vehicles must stop if park staff are present and requesting to verify permitting.

(7) No permittee shall use a County Park address as their business address.