La Habra, CA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

Chapter 12.08, Construction of Streets and Sidewalks, governs any private work that touches the public right-of-way. Section 12.08.020 requires anyone who wants to construct or reconstruct a sidewalk, curb return, gutter, pavement or driveway, or to cut any curb, curb return, gutter or sidewalk, to file a written application with the city engineer first, showing the exact location and nature of the proposed work and naming the person who will perform it. The city engineer then issues a permit once the work is set to conform with Sections 12.08.010 through 12.08.050, city ordinances, rules, regulations and specifications, and the requirements of Chapter 12.12, which separately governs street excavation permits, deposits and repair standards, and once the required fees, set from time to time, are paid.

Section 12.08.010 defines 'sidewalk' as the space nearest the property line ordinarily used by pedestrians, and § 12.08.040 requires any new or reconstructed sidewalk to be at least four feet wide, measured from the property line. Section 12.08.030 requires the city engineer or an agent to inspect the work as it progresses, and the applicant must give the engineer at least forty-eight hours' notice before construction begins so the inspection can be scheduled. Section 12.08.050 sets parking-strip width rules tied to street width: on streets under forty feet wide the sidewalk and curb must be joined with no parking strip, while wider streets carry a parking space between the four-foot sidewalk and a curb set ten feet from the property line.