The Texas speed limit is 70 mph by law on numbered highways outside cities, and the state can raise that to 75 mph, to 80 mph on parts of I-10 and I-20, and to 85 mph on a highway designed for it. City streets default to 30 mph. Texas has no speed cameras, so the sign and your own judgment are what count here.
| Road | Limit |
|---|---|
| Numbered state or US highway outside an urban district, including farm-to-market roads | 70 mph |
| Unnumbered highway outside an urban district | 60 mph |
| State highway system, set by the commission | Up to 75 mph |
| Parts of I-10 and I-20 in 10 named counties | Up to 80 mph |
| Highway designed for it, after a study | Up to 85 mph |
| Urban district street | 30 mph |
| Urban district alley | 15 mph |
| Beach | 15 mph |
What is the speed limit in Texas?
The speed limit in Texas depends on the road, with 70 mph as the starting point on numbered highways outside cities. State law calls these "prima facie" limits, meaning the speed that is lawful unless a sign or a hazard says otherwise.
The law then lets the numbers go up or down:
- Up: the Texas Transportation Commission may set 75 mph on any part of the state highway system where it finds that speed reasonable and safe.
- Down: a traffic or engineering study can lower a limit for safety reasons. Otherwise, state law says limits on state roadways are set at the state maximum.
- Locally: on state highways within a city, the city can set the limit, following TxDOT's procedures.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety lists 75 mph as the Texas maximum on rural and urban interstates, other limited-access roads and other roads, with 80 or 85 mph on specified segments. TxDOT sets limits only on the state highway system, so city streets and county roads are a local matter.
Where is the speed limit 80 mph in Texas?
The 80 mph limit in Texas is reserved for parts of I-10 and I-20 in 10 named counties, mostly in West Texas. The law lists Crockett, Culberson, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Kerr, Kimble, Pecos, Reeves, Sutton and Ward counties.
The law allows 80 mph there only where the commission finds it reasonable and safe, so not every mile qualifies. If you are driving I-10 from San Antonio toward El Paso, you will pass through several of these counties, and the signs will tell you exactly where the number changes.
Who sets speed limits on Texas roads?
TxDOT and the Texas Transportation Commission handle the state highway system, and cities and counties handle their own streets and roads. If you think a limit needs a second look, you can request a speed zone study from the TxDOT district office for that road. For a city street or county road, go to the local transportation department.
Where is the speed limit 85 mph in Texas?
The law allows up to 85 mph on a highway designed for that speed, after an engineering and traffic investigation. The famous example is State Highway 130, a toll road between the Austin area and Seguin, approved for 85 mph in 2012. We cover it in detail in the highest speed limit in the US.
What is the speed limit on I-35 in Texas?
Follow the posted signs, because a single interstate can change many times as it passes through Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio. State law gives the ceilings, and the sign gives the number for that stretch. Parts of I-35W in Fort Worth now also use variable limits, which we explain below.
What is the speed limit on Texas farm-to-market roads?
The default is 70 mph outside urban districts, because the law treats farm-to-market and ranch-to-market roads as numbered highways. Many of these roads are narrow, so the posted sign may be lower and the "reasonable and prudent" rule matters even more.
What is the speed limit on a Texas beach?
The limit on a Texas beach is 15 mph. A county commissioners court can also declare 15 mph on a county road next to a public beach, so slow right down around Galveston, Port Aransas and South Padre.
What is the speed limit in Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio?
The default speed limit on a street in a Texas city is 30 mph, and 15 mph in an alley, unless a sign shows another number. That rule comes from state law, so it applies in Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and every other urban district.
Cities have real room to adjust it:
- A city may change a limit by ordinance after an engineering and traffic investigation, but not above 75 mph.
- A city can also lower limits in work zones during repair, construction or maintenance.
- On certain two-lane, undivided roads off the state system, a city may declare a limit of no less than 25 mph if it finds the existing limit unreasonable or unsafe.
Big-city freeways are posted separately, and they are often far below the rural numbers. The photo above shows U.S. 59 heading into downtown Houston signed at 60 mph, in the same state as those 80 mph signs out west.
Are there speed cameras in Texas?
No, Texas does not have speed cameras. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety lists them as prohibited by state law, with none in place.
The law is direct. Section 542.2035 of the Transportation Code says a municipality may not implement or operate an automated traffic control system on a highway or street under its jurisdiction to enforce posted speed limits. The attorney general enforces that rule, and the law has been on the books since 2007.
That does not mean speed goes unwatched. TxDOT puts it plainly: Texas speed limits are the law, and they are strictly enforced across the state. Our guide to which states have speed cameras shows how Texas compares with its neighbors.
What are variable speed limits in Texas?
Variable speed limits are electronic signs that let TxDOT temporarily lower the limit on a stretch of highway. They are designed for weather, congestion, construction and other conditions that make the usual limit unsafe.
The program grew from a 2023 state law, House Bill 1885, and the Texas Transportation Commission created it in 2024. Here is how it works:
- Where: signs were reported on I-35W in Fort Worth and U.S. 54 in El Paso in late 2025, with a wider rollout planned. Earlier pilot signs ran in Temple, San Antonio and Eastland County.
- How much: the limit can drop by up to 10 mph.
- When it counts: a lowered limit takes effect only when it is posted, with a warning sign 500 to 1,000 feet before it begins.
- What it cannot do: the law bars using it to divert traffic to a toll road to raise toll revenue.
So on these corridors, the number on the electronic sign is the limit, even if it differs from the one you remember.
What is the speed limit in a Texas school zone?
The limit in a Texas school zone is the number on the school zone sign, so read it at each school. Check the wording too, since the sign or its flashing lights tell you when that number applies.
State law gives schools a way to ask for a review. A school can request a yearly public hearing on nearby limits, held by the city, the county commissioners court or the Transportation Commission depending on the road, and it can then request an engineering and traffic investigation.
Can you use your phone in a Texas school zone?
Not in your hand. Texas law bars using a wireless device while driving in a school crossing zone unless the vehicle is stopped or you use a hands-free device. Local authorities that enforce this must post signs at the entrance to each zone.
Is the posted limit always a safe speed in Texas?
No, the posted limit is only the top number for normal conditions. Texas law says you may not drive faster than is reasonable and prudent under the circumstances, and you must keep to a speed that accounts for actual and potential hazards.
The law says you should slow down in these situations:
- Approaching or crossing an intersection or railroad crossing.
- Approaching or going around a curve.
- Approaching the top of a hill.
- Traveling on a narrow or winding road.
- When there is heavy pedestrian or traffic activity, or unsafe weather or road conditions.
TxDOT adds that icy roads, rain, fog, heavy traffic and construction zones all call for lower speeds and more stopping distance. Its advice is to slow down and leave yourself more room, whatever the sign says.
What does the Texas speed limit mean for your next drive?
For your next drive, read the signs rather than the reputation. Texas has its famous 80 and 85 mph stretches, but most of your miles in Houston, Dallas or San Antonio will be on roads with far lower numbers, and some of those numbers now change with the weather. The state is huge, and arriving rested and safe matters more than any number on a sign.
Ghost comes into its own when your trip leaves Texas. Louisiana, Arkansas and New Mexico all have speed cameras in place, according to IIHS, and the rules change at the state line. Ghost runs next to Google Maps and warns you safely from the background with a banner and a tone over your music, about 700 meters (roughly 0.4 mile) ahead of a known fixed speed camera and again at 250 meters, and as you get closer it shows the exact distance clearly. It works on CarPlay, Android Auto and Apple Watch and covers more than 125,000 speed cameras worldwide. Ghost does not warn about police checks and does not detect radar, so the signs still come first, and your road trip stays easy from the first mile to the last.
