Hoboken, NJ Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

City Code § 168-18 provides that no permission shall be given to any person to use the streets or public places of the City for any private purpose except on the terms and in the manner set out in this section; the provision does not affect peddlers or other small dealers already operating under permits or established licenses. Anyone seeking such permission must apply in writing to the Mayor, stating particularly the use they intend to make of the street or public place and describing what structures or works they propose to erect or place there.

The City charges an administrative fee of $50 on the initial application and on each proposed amendment to it, plus a flat license fee of $5,000 per year for each ten-year period the license is in effect, payable on issuance and again on each anniversary of issuance. This general private-use permit sits alongside more specific right-of-way permits in the same chapter, such as the right-of-way access permits for construction equipment under § 168-1 and the revocable fence, gate and stairway licenses under § 168-36, each of which has its own fee schedule and conditions.

Vehicles are separately barred from crossing sidewalks except to enter a yard or lot under § 168-19, and any encroachment placed without the required permission can be treated as a removable obstruction under §§ 168-1 through 168-4.