driving along the long Texas roads, one may get the need pull over and answer nature's call. So what is the law regarding urinating on the side of the road?

Quoted: driving along the long Texas roads, one may get the need pull over and answer nature's call. So what is the law regarding urinating on the side of the road?

Disorderly Conduct Class C. Punishable by  fine of up to $500. That is assuming that you expose yourself at the time. It is different from Indecent Exposure where you are attempting to gratify the sexual desire of someone. Indecent Exposure carries a penalty of up to a $2000 fine and/or up to 180 days in jail.

§ 42.01. DISORDERLY CONDUCT.  (a) A person commits an  offense if he intentionally or knowingly:
(10)  exposes his anus or genitals in a public place and is reckless about whether another may be present who will be offended or alarmed by his act;

§ 21.08. INDECENT EXPOSURE.  (a) A person commits an offense if he exposes his anus or any part of his genitals with intent to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person, and he
is reckless about whether another is present who will be offended or alarmed by his act.
(b)  An offense under this section is a Class B misdemeanor.  

+ 1

Quoted: § 42.01. DISORDERLY CONDUCT.  (a) A person commits an  offense if he intentionally or knowingly: (10)  exposes his anus or genitals in a public place and is reckless about whether another may be present who will be offended or alarmed by his act;

If you are concealed behind a bush/tree/vehicle, would that qualify as not being "reckless about whether another may be present...," or can you still be charged since it would be obvious to most what you are doing?

best bet if you have to pee is to pull over and go in a water bottle.

Quoted: Quoted: § 42.01. DISORDERLY CONDUCT.  (a) A person commits an  offense if he intentionally or knowingly: (10)  exposes his anus or genitals in a public place and is reckless about whether another may be present who will be offended or alarmed by his act; If you are concealed behind a bush/tree/vehicle, would that qualify as not being "reckless about whether another may be present...," or can you still be charged since it would be obvious to most what you are doing?

Good idea but I think you have attacked the statute from the wrong angle. There are three parts to that sentence of the statute, (1) exposes anus or genitals, (2) in a public place and (3) is reckless about someone being offended. You need all three elements for the crime. The fact that you are in public tends to show recklessness, IMO, but then you get to "Exposes".

The law says "exposed anus or genitals" which means in view. Having knowledge of what someone is doing is not the same as "exposing", hence the statute is not met, IMO. I would not make an arrest or issue a citation for it because if someone can't see something, how can they testify that it was "exposed".

That does not mean some cop for Podunk PD will not arrest you and bring you before the small town judge who will give you the maximum fine ($500), thereby bringing money to his city. I could not find any Texas case law on the offense.

Use a gatorade bottle and pull your shirt tail over everything.

Quoted: Use a gatorade bottle and pull your shirt tail over everything.

Just curious, but what do you do with the gatorade bottle full of piss? Surely you don't advocate littering? After all, the littering fine can be more than the waving your unit around fine.

Pour it down the toilet when you get to where you are going.  Simple. It is not going to leak, just make sure that no one mistakes it for gatorade.  

Quoted: Quoted: Use a gatorade bottle and pull your shirt tail over everything. Just curious, but what do you do with the gatorade bottle full of piss? Surely you don't advocate littering? After all, the littering fine can be more than the waving your unit around fine.

Not going to say which town but I worked for a town and saw a guy get brought in for urinating in public.....its great at arraignment

Quoted: Quoted: Use a gatorade bottle and pull your shirt tail over everything. Just curious, but what do you do with the gatorade bottle full of piss? Surely you don't advocate littering? After all, the littering fine can be more than the waving your unit around fine.

You do what the truckers do, toss it out the window.

It's called a 'trucker bomb.' Never seen a yellow tinted gatorade bottle laying against the curb?  

.....  Just pull over, open two doors on the passenger side of your truck and go...


I've done it all my life, cops have passed me, people have honked at me... whatever, no sane police office is going to take you in if your in the middle of nowhere whizzing on the side of the road.  And being kosher about it.

i.e., not doing the windmill on the side of the road to Mary and her 3 kids going to a Soccer tournament in San Antonio.


Of course, i'm from West Texas, where it's often an hour or more in-between towns and rest stops, so they might be cooler about it out that way then East Texas, where you're never more than fifteen minutes from a rest stop or gas station.


I wouldn't worry about it.

Quoted: Quoted: Use a gatorade bottle and pull your shirt tail over everything. Just curious, but what do you do with the gatorade bottle full of piss? Surely you don't advocate littering? After all, the littering fine can be more than the waving your unit around fine.

Pour your piss in the grass next the road, screw the top back on, and put it back in your car./truck  I do it all the time and I am a LEO.

On my way down I-10 to Beaumont I saw a local LEO "going" in some bushes in fairly plain site.  I am not very familiar with the area however I know it was by a rest area about halfway between Houston and Beaumont.  In all fairness I don't think the rest area had a head.

FWIW
I once called 911 for a guy that I thought was dead (middle of the road in the middle of the night).  I waited for like 30 mins for the po-po to show up...well as luck has it right when I break down and start to "go" that's  when they arrive
No ticket.