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

010 sets the baseline: no one may erect, construct or maintain a building, wall, fence, structure, wireless telecommunications facility or other facility in, on, under, over or above a public right-of-way, except for a short list of carve-outs, street structures built under a public improvement permit, ornamental entrance structures approved under Sec. 020, wireless facilities permitted under Sec. 030, projecting signs that comply with the building code, and pedestrian signs under Sec. 110(E). Everything else needs the encroachment permit that Sec. 030 describes: a written application to the director of public works naming the benefited property owner, a legal description of that property, a one-sheet plot plan and a written justification for the encroachment, filed with a nonrefundable fee set by the director's own fee schedule.

The director investigates and may issue the permit outright, deny it, or issue it with conditions designed to eliminate any adverse health, safety or welfare impact. Subsection D carves out a separate track for the general manager of Glendale Water and Power, who handles encroachments placed within electrical or water easements instead of the director of public works. Wireless telecommunications facility encroachment permits carry their own clock under subsection E: if construction has not begun within 60 days of issuance, the permit expires unless the director grants an extension, which can come with added fees or conditions.