‘This Is My Curb!’: The Unspoken War Over Street Parking in Texas

Ah, the age-old Texas tradition: the unspoken war over street parking. Nothing gets the blood boiling like seeing some random Honda Civic parked in your spot—the spot you don’t technically own but have mentally claimed through sheer territorial instinct. You know, like a dog marking its territory, but with more passive-aggressive Nextdoor posts.

According to the Texas Transportation Code (which, let’s be honest, none of us have actually read), parking in front of someone’s house is technically legal. That’s right—your neighbor’s cousin’s Uber driver can legally turn your curb into their personal valet lane, and there’s not a dang thing you can do about it. Unless, of course, they commit the ultimate sin: blocking your driveway. Then, my friend, it’s tow time.

But here’s the kicker: if you want to get a car towed, you’ve gotta wait a full 48 hours. That’s two whole days of side-eyeing a suspicious sedan while muttering, This is why we can’t have nice things. Meanwhile, the owner is probably just inside, blissfully unaware they’ve ignited a suburban Cold War.

And let’s talk about the real villains here: party hosts. You throw one little soirée, and suddenly your guests are playing Grand Theft Auto: HOA Edition, parking wherever they please. Sure, you could be a decent human and warn your neighbors, but where’s the fun in that? Nothing bonds a community like a shared enemy—preferably one with out-of-state plates.

So next time you see a strange car squatting on your curb, take a deep breath, resist the urge to key ‘MOVE’ into the hood, and remember: in Texas, freedom means the right to park wherever the heck you want—until someone calls a tow truck. God bless America.

Chad Evans is the founder of ‘ParkingPal,’ a blockchain-based app that lets you rent out your curb space for Bitcoin. It’s disrupting the parking industry, bro.