Can You Get a Ticket for Running a Stop Sign in a Texas Parking Lot?

We’ve all seen it happen, and it’s very possible that you have done it yourself. I’m talking about rolling through a stop sign in a parking lot in Texas. I’m not afraid to admit that I have done it before, especially when no one else is around. But if a police officer sees you run a stop sign in a parking lot is that something you can get a citation for doing? It’s a little bit of a grey area on this topic so I wanted to share the details with you, so you don’t get into trouble. 

Most people have heard and are under the belief that a parking lot is private property owned by that business so you cannot get a traffic citation for not obeying the laws within that parking lot. While you should still follow all traffic signs and laws whenever you’re behind the wheel, you probably won’t be pulled over for running a stop sign in a parking lot unless an officer just wants to check on you to see if there was a reason for running it.  

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But Here is the Grey Area Regarding Running a Stop Sign in a Parking Lot 

Where you can really get yourself in trouble is when the stop sign that you’re running takes you out onto a normal public street. If you don’t make a proper stop at that stop sign you could be pulled over and issued a citation for failure to yield from a private drive. If you cause an accident by running that stop sign leaving a parking lot, don’t be surprised if you are issued a citation for that infraction. 

Always Stop at a Stop Sign 

I’m reminding myself of this as I write it, to always make sure to stop at every stop sign. They are there to keep everyone safe.