The City of Watauga Police Department will be redirecting resources to and around our city parks to provide a safer and more enjoyable experience for our residents and visitors. In response to numerous complaints of noise disturbances, use of offensive language, fighting, and other inappropriate and disorderly behavior we will now be directing specialized personnel to and around our city parks to help end this problem.

This page will highlight what our personnel will be focusing on.

City Ordinances:

Sec. 30-60. - Conduct at recreation center.

(a) No person upon the property of the recreation center facility shall engage in any activity or use of the recreation center facility or equipment which will unreasonably interfere with or detract from the public health, safety, welfare, use or enjoyment of such recreation center.

(b) Any person violating this section is subject to a permanent prohibition of entry onto the premises of the recreation facility. The decision to impose such a prohibition lies within the discretion of the recreation facility director or the city manager.

Sec. 30-51. - Protection of park property

No person shall, in any city park, do or cause to be done any of the following without first obtaining a permit:

(a) Buildings and property generally.

(1) Damaging, tampering with or removing structures or equipment. Mark, deface, disfigure, injure, tamper with or remove any buildings, bridges, tables, benches, grills, fences, paving or paving materials, water lines or other public utilities or parts or appurtenances thereof, signs, notices, or placards, whether temporary or permanent, monuments, stakes, posts, or other boundary markers, or other structures or equipment, facilities or park property appurtenances whatsoever, either real or personal.

Sec. 28.04. Reckless Damage or Destruction.

(a) A person commits an offense if, without the effective consent of the owner, he recklessly damages or destroys property of the owner.

Display Firearm/Weapon in City Park/Playground

Sec. 30-56. Weapons

(a) It shall be unlawful for a person to carry or possess in a city park or playground, for any purpose, an air rifle, a spring gun, a spring-loaded gun, a bow and arrow, a crossbow, a javelin, a spear, a sword, fire arrows, slings, a slingshot, or any instrument that can be loaded to fire blanks or cartridges, or any kind of trapping device.

Violate Skate Park Hours of Operation

Sec. 30-80. - Hours of operation; use regulations

(a) The hours of operation for the skate park will be from 30 minutes after dawn to 30 minutes prior to dusk. Any person using or attempting to use the skate park during any other time shall be subject to immediate ejection in addition to any other penalties provided in this division.

(b) Use of the skate park is limited to:

(1) BMX bikes between the hours of 10:00AM and 12:00 noon and between 6:00PM and 30 minutes before dusk; and 

(2) Skateboards, roller skates, and roller blades at all other times

No Helmet or Safety Pads/Skate Park Child Under 17

Sec. 30-80. - Hours of operation; use regulations

(c) All persons using the skate park must wear helmets and safety pads at all times.

Sec. 30-80. - Hours of operation; use regulations

(d) The use or possession of alcohol or tobacco products inside the skate park is strictly prohibited.

(e) The placement or use of any personal ramps, rails, or boxes in the skate park is strictly prohibited.

Sec. 34-2. - Interference with use of streets and sidewalks

(b) Obstruction by persons or groups of persons. It shall be unlawful for any person or group of persons to obstruct or interfere in the use of any public street or sidewalk. It shall further be unlawful and shall constitute a separate offense for any person to fail or refuse to move or disperse from such areas upon being so ordered by any code enforcement or police officer in the city.

D.O.C. - Abuse/Threat; Fighting; Language; Offensive Gesture

Sec. 42.01. Disorderly Conduct. 

(a) A person commits an offense if he intentionally or knowingly:

(1) uses abusive, indecent, profane, or vulgar language in a public place, and the language by its very utterance tends to incite an immediate breach of the peace;

(2) makes an offensive gesture or display in a public place, and the gesture or display tends to incite an immediate breach of the peace;

(4) abuses or threatens a person in a public place in an obviously offensive manner;

(6) fights with another in a public place

Sec. 552.006. USE OF SIDEWALK.

(a) A pedestrian may not walk along and on a roadway if an adjacent sidewalk is provided and is accessible to the pedestrian.

(b) If a sidewalk is not provided, a pedestrian walking along and on a highway shall if possible walk on:

(1) the left side of the roadway; or

(2) the shoulder of the highway facing oncoming traffic.

Pedestrian Fail to Cross at Crosswalk

Sec. 552.005. CROSSING AT POINT OTHER THAN CROSSWALK. 

(a) A pedestrian shall yield the right-of-way to a vehicle on the highway if crossing a roadway at a place:

(1) other than in a marked crosswalk or in an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection; or

(b) Between adjacent intersections at which traffic control signals are in operation, a pedestrian may cross only in a marked crosswalk.

(c) A pedestrian may cross a roadway intersection diagonally only if and in the manner authorized by a traffic control device.

For more information about City of Watauga Parks, click here.