REGULATIONS FOR PUBLIC SPEECHES IN PUBLIC AREAS SURROUNDING THANKSGIVING SQUARE.
Dallas City Code § 31-22.1
in effectSEC. 31-22.1. REGULATIONS FOR PUBLIC SPEECHES IN PUBLIC AREAS SURROUNDING THANKSGIVING SQUARE.
(a) In this section PUBLIC AREA SURROUNDING THANKSGIVING SQUARE (sometimes referred to as Thanks-Giving Square Surrounding Area) means the public streets and sidewalks between the private property lines of Block 476 of the city and the boundary lines of private property opposite Block 476 on Bryan Street (Blocks 233 and 237), Ervay Street (Block 477), and Pacific Avenue (Block 75). The land within the boundaries of Thanks-Giving Square situated on Block 476 is private property.
(b) A person commits an offense if he:
(1) uses a portion of the public area surrounding Thanks-Giving Square for the purpose of a demonstration, entertainment, or speech between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. on any day, without first obtaining a permit from the chief of police; or
(2) while using the public area surrounding Thanks-Giving Square for the purpose of a demonstration, entertainment, or speech creates a sound pressure level equal to or in excess of the following decibel limits specified in the designated octave bands:
Octave Band | 37 | 75 | 150 | 300 | 600 | 1200 | 2400 | 4800 | A
(cps) | 75 | 150 | 300 | 600 | 1200 | 2400 | 4800 | 9600 | Scale
Decibel Band Limit (db re 0.0002 Micro-bar) | 80 | 68 | 61 | 55 | 51 | 48 | 45 | 43 | 56
NOTE: A Scale levels are provided for monitoring purposes only. Noise measurements are made in the same manner as provided in the Environmental Performance Standards of the Dallas Development Code.
(c) The chief of police is authorized to issue permits for demonstrations, entertainment, or speeches in the public area surrounding Thanks-Giving Square when application is made in writing. The permit will state the date and time of use and the purpose and manner of use, and a permittee shall act in accordance with the provisions of the permit.
(d) The chief of police shall limit permits issued to the following periods:
Period A - from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
Period B - from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Period C - from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Period D - from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Period E - from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Period F - from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
The chief of police shall issue a permit for only one time period per day to each person or organization applying and shall issue the permit for a particular time to the first applicant making proper application for that time. No permit may be issued for the period of time between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
(e) The chief of police shall issue only one permit during a single time period. The chief of police shall inquire about activities planned to take place on Thanks-Giving Square and shall take care not to issue a permit for an activity that will conflict with an activity planned on the square.
(f) If a permittee commits an offense under this section or violates a provision of the permit, the chief of police shall revoke the permit. If the chief of police denies or revokes a permit, the appeal procedure described in Section 28-192 of this code applies.
(g) A permit issued pursuant to this section does not authorize a person to obstruct or cause obstruction of a sidewalk, entrance, or exit to which the public has access nor does it authorize the violation of other provisions of this code. (Ord. Nos. 15472; 19455)
Source: City of Dallas, Dallas City Code and City Charter (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/dallas/latest/dallas_tx/0-0-0-114457Fetched: 10/26/2026