Medford, MA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

Section 78-7(a) of the Revised Ordinances, City of Medford governs any fixture or structure placed in the public right-of-way. The rule bars a person from placing, erecting, or causing to be placed or erected within any sidewalk, street or highway any fixture or structure unless a permit has first been granted and remains in effect. Jurisdiction over the permit splits by the class of way: the Medford City Council issues the permit for city ways, while the Massachusetts Department of Public Works issues it for state highways running through the city.

The ordinance traces to Revised Ordinances 1974, ch. 13, § 16, carried forward unchanged into the current code. Typical encroachments covered include awnings, signposts, planters, fences, or any built structure that projects into or occupies part of the sidewalk or street. A companion clause, § 78-7(c), lets a city officer move any fixture or structure erected illegally in the right-of-way, and bills the cost of that removal to the property owner. Because § 78-7 does not set its own fine, a violation falls under the citywide default in § 1-13: a penalty up to $300.00 per offense, with each day the unpermitted structure remains treated as a separate offense, and the city may also seek an injunction to force removal instead of, or alongside, the fine.

Property owners planning café furniture, retaining walls, ramps, awnings, or any other structure that reaches into the sidewalk or roadway should apply to the city council before construction, since work can otherwise be halted and removed at the owner's own expense under this chapter.