Kokomo, IN Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

Section 97.16 requires "any person, firm, or corporation desiring to open, cut, bore into or under any street, alley, or other public way or right-of-way, paved or unpaved" to obtain a specific permit first, whether the work is a directional bore, an open trench, a new service extension, an overhead installation, or a driveway or sidewalk curb cut, the ten activities listed in division (C). Division (B) puts the Department of Engineering, Traffic, and Inspection Services in charge of managing every city right-of-way and gives that department discretion over how the right-of-way may be used, while the Common Council grants the City Engineer authority to enforce the permit requirement directly as the city's agent.

Fees follow in § 97.17: a $50 minimum application fee applies to most permits, dropping to $25 for a driveway or sidewalk curb-cut permit, with a $.10-per-foot surcharge once an open trench under division (C)(8) runs past 100 feet. Cutting into pavement, curb, or sidewalk that was resurfaced within the last three years costs extra, on a sliding scale from $300 (resurfaced within 12 months) down to $50 (resurfaced more than 36 months earlier), and any excavation of a brick or other decorative surface draws an added fee the Board of Public Works and Safety sets on the City Engineer's recommendation. Aerial work rising less than five feet above pavement, and any excavation the city itself contracts for, is exempt under § 97.15.