Baytown, TX Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

Sec. 122-2 sets Baytown's basic right-of-way rule: subsection (a) bans encumbering or obstructing sidewalks, streets, alleys, or other public rights-of-way with goods, merchandise, or property of any kind, but subsection (c) carves out the path to do it lawfully. A person who wants to use the sidewalk, street, alley, or other right-of-way to store goods must first apply to the city manager in writing and receive permission before making that use. There's no fee or form specified in the ordinance itself; the process runs through the city manager's office directly.

If the city manager denies the request, the applicant isn't out of options: Sec. 122-2(c) grants a right to appeal to the city council, and the council's decision on that appeal is final, with no further administrative review built into the ordinance. This permit requirement sits alongside a separate, narrower permit scheme in Sec. 122-156 through 122-159, which requires a written permit from the director before building any structure in, upon, over, or across a city utility easement for sewer, water, or electric conduit purposes, also appealable to the city council.

The general right-of-way rule traces to Ordinance No. 736, adopted January 14, 1965, and has stood as Code sections 26-1 through 26-3 since the 1967 code recodification.