El Monte, CA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

El Monte Municipal Code Section 12.28.020, in Chapter 12.28 (Encroachments), requires anyone who wants to construct, install, maintain or otherwise place an encroachment on a public street, sidewalk or right-of-way to first get an encroachment permit, processed under the business-permit procedure in Chapter 5.12 or, for trash bins specifically, under Section 8.20.267. Section 12.28.010 defines "encroachment" broadly: any bench, sign, newsrack or other real or personal property installed or maintained on public property for more than thirty minutes in any twenty-four-hour period without a permit or City Council permission.

Applicants must supply the details required by Section 12.28.040: owner name, address and phone; the exact proposed location and the abutting property owner or tenant; a description of the encroachment's type, dimensions and materials; and a disclosure of any advertising matter to be placed on it, which stays subject to the Permit Committee's continuing approval. The application fee is set under Section 5.12.270(A)(11). Government agencies are exempt from that fee under Section 12.28.050.

Before a permit issues, Section 12.28.060 requires the applicant to post and maintain a surety bond or public liability insurance approved by the City Attorney and naming the city as an additional insured, non-cancelable on less than fifteen days' written notice (street signs are exempt from this bond/insurance requirement). Every permit is temporary and revocable: Section 12.28.070 lets the Permit Committee revoke it if the encroachment isn't installed within sixty days, and Section 12.28.080 lets the City Council revoke a permit at any time it finds a public hazard or a violated condition, or after a hearing on a neighbor's complaint following at least three days' written notice. No encroachment permit may issue for a sign display prohibited under Chapter 17.80.