85R6003 JTS-D
By: Watson S.B. No. 1652
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the designation of an area of highway by a municipality
as an immediate removal area.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 683.002(a), Transportation Code, is
amended to read as follows:
(a) For the purposes of this chapter, a motor vehicle is
abandoned if the motor vehicle:
(1) is inoperable, is more than five years old, and has
been left unattended on public property for more than 48 hours;
(2) has remained illegally on public property for more
than 48 hours;
(3) has remained on private property without the
consent of the owner or person in charge of the property for more
than 48 hours;
(4) has been left unattended on the right-of-way of a
designated county, state, or federal highway for more than 48
hours;
(5) has been left unattended for more than 24 hours on
the right-of-way of a turnpike project constructed and maintained
by the Texas Turnpike Authority division of the Texas Department of
Transportation or a controlled access highway; [or]
(6) is considered an abandoned motor vehicle under
Section 644.153(r); or
(7) is unattended in an area designated by a
municipality as an immediate removal area as provided by Section
683.004.
SECTION 2. Subchapter A, Chapter 683, Transportation Code,
is amended by adding Section 683.004 to read as follows:
Sec. 683.004. DESIGNATION OF IMMEDIATE REMOVAL AREAS. (a)
A municipality may designate a segment of highway in the
municipality's jurisdiction as an area in which the immediate
removal of unattended vehicles is necessary to prevent traffic
safety hazards.
(b) A municipality that makes a designation under
Subsection (a) must post signs in the area providing conspicuous
notice that the area is an immediate removal area and that
unattended vehicles may be immediately towed.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.