Ames, IA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

Ames Municipal Code Sec. 22.3 prohibits any private, fixed encroachment, listed examples include chimneys, stairways, platforms, steps, pipes, cables, wires, railings, vaults, mechanical equipment, signs, footings, storage tanks, and coal or boiler rooms, within the limits of the public right-of-way or a public parking lot unless the property owner obtains a written encroachment permit. Applications go to the City Council in writing with a complete plan, except that applications for non-breakaway mailboxes go instead to the City Traffic Engineer, who can approve them administratively if the installation is not dangerous or hazardous.

Breakaway mailboxes built to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' specifications need no permit at all under Sec. 22.3(1)(a)(ii). Once approved, the City Council may impose conditions, and the applicant must carry a $500,000 combined single limit comprehensive general liability insurance certificate naming the City as an additional insured, though the Council may waive that requirement for a state agency. The City Clerk then collects a fee, a minimum of $25.00 or $1.00 per square foot of encroachment, whichever is larger, before issuing the permit.

Sec. 22.3(5) lets the City Council revoke any encroachment permit whenever it conflicts with the City's use of the streets, alleys, or sidewalks, and Sec. 22.3(6) lets the Council charge an annual inspection fee, with nonpayment cancelling the permit. An unpermitted encroachment is enforced under Chapter 22's municipal infraction schedule in Sec. 22.26.