Hamden, CT Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

Section 96.01 of the Hamden Code of Ordinances requires anyone doing right-of-way work in town, including a person, firm or corporation constructing, repairing, laying or relaying a sidewalk, driveway apron, curb or combined curb and gutter on a public highway or street, to first obtain a work permit from the Legislative Council or its designated agent. Subsection (B) sets the permit fee at $50. Emergency work may begin on oral notice, but a written application must follow immediately. Subsection (C) adds traffic-control requirements tied to the permit: a uniformed police officer is required whenever the work significantly restricts roadway traffic and creates a hazard, as determined by the Chief of Police or a designee, with the cost charged to the permittee; where police are unavailable, the permittee must provide a flag person instead.

The Chief of Police may authorize flag persons on a temporary basis for isolated, light-traffic, short-duration or off-peak jobs, during non-peak traffic hours (0700 to 0900 and 1600 to 1800) Section 96.02 requires the permit application to include an indemnification clause protecting the town, and § 96.03 limits issuance to seasonable construction months absent an emergency and requires the permit to be kept at the job site. Contractors performing the work must additionally be licensed under § 96.05, which carries its own $1,000,000/$2,000,000 insurance and $10,000 bond requirements, though an owner working on his or her own frontage is exempt from the contractor license under § 96.05(D) as long as the § 96.01 permit is secured.