Hamburg Village, NY Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

The Village of Hamburg treats the street and sidewalk as public ground that private parties use only by permit. Section 203-4 bars anyone from injuring any pavement, sidewalk, crosswalk or sewer, or digging any area sewer or other excavation in a public street or removing earth or stone from it, without a written permit from the Director of Public Works, on conditions the Board of Trustees or the Director impose. The Board of Trustees can order an excavation built contrary to the section to be filled up or altered at the owner's expense.

Section 203-11 covers materials. No person shall place building or other materials on a public street without written permission from the Director of Public Works. The permission cannot run longer than three months and cannot authorize obstructing more than 1/3 of the sidewalk. The permittee must enclose the materials in sufficient guards, keep lighted lamps in place at night, and remove the materials and any rubbish at expiration or revocation. The Board of Trustees or the Director can revoke the permit without notice at any time.

Bonds are in § 203-22. Applications for excavations for sewer, water or gas connections, for an areaway under the sidewalk, for tree work in the street, or to place any obstruction must come with a bond in an amount set by the Board of Trustees, approved as to form by the Village Attorney. Every permit is revocable by the Board of Trustees or another authorized official, and plumbers, contractors and utility businesses can post a general bond.

Other encroachments have their own approvals. Moving a building along a street needs written permission from the Superintendent of Public Works (§ 203-10). A trapdoor or grate in a sidewalk needs written permission from the Board of Trustees (§ 203-16). An awning over the right-of-way needs a Building Department permit, with at least nine feet of vertical clearance, and the permit is revocable on 30 days notice (§ 203-18). Signs over a public street need Board of Trustees consent and a bond or insurance (§ 203-19). Building projections over a street or sidewalk are prohibited outright (§ 203-15).