Traffic Sign/Speeding Ticket

I got a speeding ticket in my neighborhood in Houston, TX. The posted speed limit is 30 in all of the neighborhoods in my subdivision. The cop pulled me over saying that I was doing 33 in a 20! I asked him where it said 20mph. He said, "right back there on that YELLOW sign". The yellow sign that he referred to is one of those yellow diamonds that has a curvy line on it. Since when did those "caution" signs become the maximum speed limit allowed? We were never told that in driver's ed, or when we got our licenses, nor were there any announcements from the State of Texas stating such. Do I have a chance of getting out of this ticket?

[racer72]

Any sign that contain a speed limit shall be considered the posted speed limit for that stretch of roadway. It does not matter if the sign is white, yellow, orange, or blue. There is a reason they put those signs there.

I respectfully disagree. The yellow signs are advisory speed signs. They have no legal bearing on the speed limit. You need to contact the jurisdiction agency of that roadway to find out the official designated speed for a section of roadway.
The black/white speed sign indicate the official speed limit. But, even these may not be correct. In some cases, I have seen a local town change a speed limit sign from 40 to 30 on a state highway that runs thru the town. The town made this without approval from the state and the state still has 40 as the designated speed. The 30 mph in this case was not enforceable.

[racer72]

Texas does not have its traffic laws online but checking the state laws of 18 other states, they all say almost the exact same thing and I would be willing to bet the law is the same in Texas. From the state of Washington: The driver of any vehicle, every bicyclist, and every pedestrian shall obey the instructions of any official traffic control device applicable thereto placed in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, unless otherwise directed by a traffic or police officer, subject to the exception granted the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle in this chapter. And the definition of traffic control device does include all signage place by the government entity which has control of the traffic laws of that particular roadway.

Your reply is correct that drivers must obey the signs, however the advisory speed plate indicates the "maximum RECOMMENDED speed around a curve or through a hazardous location." (MUTCD). It is NOT a legal mandatory speed. These signs simply say "35mph" for example. It is purely guidance. No where on the sign does it say Speed Limit 35mph, like the black/white ones do.