Jackson, MS Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

City Code of Ordinances § 110-21 starts from a flat prohibition: persons erecting or repairing any building are barred from using the street next to or in front of the job site to handle or store material while work is underway. The city engineering section of the utilities division of the public works department, or the building inspector, can override that ban only by written consent that designates the specific part of the street authorized for use, effectively the encroachment permit for the job. Two conditions attach to any authorized encroachment.

First, whoever uses the street must place suitable lanterns or lights at the outer corners of the stored material every night the encroachment continues, lit at or before dark and kept burning continuously until daylight, so drivers and pedestrians can see the obstruction after dark. Second, the authorized use of that portion of the street cannot run longer than 90 days regardless of how long the underlying construction takes. The section makes the contractor or property owner personally liable for any violation. Two neighboring sections in the same chapter reinforce the permit structure: § 110-19 separately requires anyone performing work on or under the surface of a dedicated street, including sidewalks, to submit a plan to the public works department and obtain written approval before starting (no fee is charged for that approval), and § 110-20 makes it unlawful to sink, alter, or cut into a public street, or deposit material in one, without permission from the city council. 00, imprisonment, or both, with each day the violation continues counted as a separate offense.