Tex. Penal Code § 42.062 · Chapter 42. DISORDERLY CONDUCT AND RELATED OFFENSES
INTERFERENCE WITH EMERGENCY REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE.
Text — Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
(a) An individual commits an offense if the individual knowingly prevents or interferes with another individual's ability to place an emergency call or to request assistance, including a request for assistance using an electronic communications device, in an emergency from a law enforcement agency, medical facility, or other agency or entity the primary purpose of which is to provide for the safety of individuals.
(b) An individual commits an offense if the individual recklessly renders unusable an electronic communications device, including a telephone, that would otherwise be used by another individual to place an emergency call or to request assistance in an emergency from a law enforcement agency, medical facility, or other agency or entity the primary purpose of which is to provide for the safety of individuals.
(c) An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor, except that the offense is a state jail felony if the actor has previously been convicted under this section.
(d) In this section, "emergency" means a condition or circumstance in which any individual is or is reasonably believed by the individual making a call or requesting assistance to be in fear of imminent assault or in which property is or is reasonably believed by the individual making the call or requesting assistance to be in imminent danger of damage or destruction.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Added by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 690, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2001. Amended by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 460, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2003; Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1164, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.
Amended by:
Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 331 (H.B. 1972), Sec. 7, eff. September 1, 2013.
Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 331 (H.B. 1972), Sec. 8, eff. September 1, 2013.
Source of truth
- Edition
- Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
- Official file
- https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PE/htm/PE.42.htm
- Text hash
- sha256 4584b8e4d3afc720e352c46bdb70aa85c28e409915fca502efd2288330be97dd
- Composed by
- compose_tx.py 2026-10-05: the Legislative Council's chapter files read in document order; verify_tx.py's independent reading (lxml DOM walk) agrees character for character
Cited by 1 provision
Provisions in this library whose text cites Tex. Penal Code § 42.062. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
Code of Criminal Procedure
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