Bend, OR Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- Any dig, build, or lane closure in ROW (BC 3.40.005)
- Traffic plan
- Mandatory for any lane closure application
- Eligible contractors
- Only City's qualified-contractor list
- Denial grounds
- Noncompliance or unpaid prior permit penalties
- Night work
- Separate noise permit needed (BC 5.50.035)
- Enforcement
- Stop-work order and permit revocation (BC 3.40.030)
Summary
No one but the City may dig, build, or place anything in a Bend public right-of-way, including closing a sidewalk, vehicle lane, or bike lane, without a City right-of-way permit under Bend Code § 3.40.005. The permit must include a traffic control plan for any lane closure.
No person other than the City and its agents may dig, cut, drill (vertical, horizontal, directional, or other), excavate (mechanical, hydro- or other), install, or construct anything within any right-of-way or property owned or controlled by the City, including public easements, without a City right-of-way permit. No person other than the City may remove, alter, or construct any curb, sidewalk, driveway approach, gutter, pavement, or other improvement in any public right-of-way or property owned or controlled by the City without a City right-of-way permit. No person other than the City may wholly or partially reserve, occupy, or close a sidewalk, vehicle lane, or bike lane in a City-administered right-of-way without a right-of-way permit.
Full Breakdown
005(A) bars any person other than the City and its agents from digging, cutting, drilling, excavating, installing, or constructing anything within a right-of-way or City-controlled property, including public easements, without a City right-of-way permit; that includes removing, altering, or constructing curbs, sidewalks, driveway approaches, gutters, pavement, or other improvements, and wholly or partially reserving, occupying, or closing a sidewalk, vehicle lane, or bike lane. Any application involving a lane closure must include a traffic control plan consistent with the City of Bend Standards and Specifications.
005(B), the permit issues only if the proposed work complies with the City code, the Standards and Specifications, and the Bend Development Code, and only if the applicant is current on all its other right-of-way permits; the City can deny the application or attach conditions covering restoration of surfaces, timing, utility coordination, and traffic control, including specific penalties for missing deadlines. The permit itself must state the extent of any authorized lane closure. 035.
Violations & Fines
Working in a Bend right-of-way without a permit, or outside a permit's terms, exposes the encroaching party to a stop-work order and permit revocation under BC 3.40.030, plus liability for injury or property damage tied to the unauthorized work; permittees must also indemnify the City and carry insurance meeting the City's tort liability limits under § 3.40.010(E).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to close a sidewalk or bike lane in Bend for construction?
Who can apply for a Bend right-of-way permit?
What can the City do if I work in the right-of-way without a permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bend
Compare Bend to another location·View the Oregon sidewalk & pedestrian rules overview
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