Updated Cruising Ordinance in Mansfield

Joe Lyons • May 31, 2024

The Mansfield Division of Police would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone of the updated Cruising Prohibited Ordinance recently passed by Mansfield’s City Council. This ordinance went into effect May 7th 2024 however, the Mansfield Division of Police would like to give everyone time to adjust to the change.

Mansfield Police Officers will continue to conduct traffic enforcement in the Cruising Prohibited Designated Area however, Officers have been advised not to cite under the Cruising Prohibited Ordinance until July 1, 2024. Although, Officers are advised not to cite under this ordinance until July 1, 2024, Officers can still conduct traffic enforcement under this ordinance to assist in educating Motor Vehicle Operators and may take enforcement action on other traffic violations if observed.

A copy of City of Mansfield Ordinance 331.48 Cruising Prohibited is included below for reference.

331.48 Cruising Prohibited

(a) Definitions:

(1) “Designated Area” means that area of the City bound by Home Road on the west, Trimble Road on the east, Park Avenue West on south, and West Forth Street on the north.

(2) “Designated Hours” means the time between 8:00 PM and 3:00 AM from Friday evening into Saturday morning and Saturday evening into Sunday morning.

(3) “Traffic Control Point” means a reference point on a street within the Designated area within the Designated hours selected by a police officer for the purpose of enforcing this section.

(4) “Cruising” means driving a motor vehicle on a street past a Traffic Control Point, within a Designated Area, within Designated Hours, by the Mansfield Division of Police, more than two times in any two-hour period. The passing of a designated control point a third time under the aforesaid conditions shall constitute unnecessary repetitive driving and therefor a violation of this section.

2 (b) Cruising Prohibited. No person shall engage in unnecessary repetitive driving, also known for the purpose of this section as cruising.

(c) For purposes of this prohibition, upon a determination that a vehicle is Cruising, the person having control and/or ownership of the Cruising motor vehicle shall be considered the person cruising, without regard as to whether that person was actually driving the motor vehicle each time it passed the traffic control point.

(d) “Control or Ownership of a motor vehicle” shall be either the owner of the vehicle as stated on the vehicle registration, if said owner is present in the vehicle at the time of the violation, or if the owner is not present in the vehicle, the person operating the vehicle at the time of the violation of this section.

(e) Exclusions. This section shall not apply to any municipal, emergency, police, fire, ambulance or other governmental vehicle when such vehicle is being operated in an official capacity. In addition, this section shall not apply to any licensed public transportation vehicle, other business vehicles being driven for business or commercial purposes, or to residents of the designated area traveling to a specific destination.

(f) Penalty. Whoever violates any of the provisions of this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor on a first offense; on a second offense within one year after the first offense, the person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree; on each subsequent offense within one year after the first offense, the person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the third degree.