Dothan, AL Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

Dothan requires a city permit before anyone disturbs the public right-of-way in several distinct ways, all set out in Chapter 86, Streets, Sidewalks and Other Public Places, and carried over from the 1977 Code. Section 86-3 bars altering, changing or rearranging curbs, gutters, drainage ditches or culverts along a street or public way without first getting a permit from the city engineer, who supervises the work to keep proper elevations for stormwater flow. Section 86-4 separately requires a permit before installing a drainage culvert along or across a street, again supervised by the city engineer.

Under § 86-5, the minimum fee for permits issued under both §§ 86-3 and 86-4 is $1.50, plus the cost of any construction labor or materials the city furnishes. A broader permit requirement applies to street excavation: § 86-7 makes it unlawful to dig, tear up or excavate any part of a street or public way, inside the corporate limits or the city's police jurisdiction, without a city permit and under whatever conditions the city imposes; before the city issues that permit, the applicant must post a deposit, in an amount the city engineer or public works director sets, to guarantee the street or way is promptly restored.

Section 86-7(b) adds that any additional curb cuts built under such a permit must accommodate people with disabilities under the ADA. A related section, § 86-8, requires a written permit from the city engineer or public works director before removing dirt from a street or depositing soil, trash, limbs or debris on a street, sidewalk or drainage ditch.