Olympia, WA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

Chapter 12.24 of the Olympia Municipal Code governs obstructions of streets and sidewalks in the City of Olympia, Thurston County, Washington. Section 12.24.090 sets the baseline: no person, firm or corporation can erect or maintain an obstruction of any kind on a public street, sidewalk, alley or other vacant or public property belonging to the city except in compliance with Article II. Signs and billboards fall outside the chapter, and so does the placement of moveable items on the untraveled portion of city streets, sidewalks or alleys for a period not exceeding four hours.

Under § 12.24.100(A), storing materials or things on a crosswalk, sidewalk, street or alley requires a temporary obstruction permit from the Building Official, with one carve-out for merchandise in the actual course of receipt or delivery. The Building Official issues the permit under circumstances and in a manner that will not hinder or be a detriment to the public. The applicant pays a fee at the time of filing, plus rental for use of the public property, both set in Title 4 of the code, and complies with the rest of the article.

Section 12.24.110 lets the permit issuer require a bond before granting a § 12.24.100(A) permit: fifty thousand dollars, or another amount the issuer sets, conditioned on holding the city harmless and on restoring any street, sidewalk, alley or utility the obstruction disturbs. Section 12.24.120 accepts a comprehensive general liability policy instead, approved by the city attorney, at one million dollars ($1,000,000) per occurrence and $2,000,000 in the general aggregate, or other amounts approved by the city engineer and city risk manager.

The paperwork runs through several departments. Under § 12.24.130 the application form comes from the Director of the Community Planning and Development department and has space for restrictions from the fire department, police department or street department. The applicant collects those endorsements, returns the application to the department of public works, and that department issues the permit after the permit fee is paid and the bond or insurance policy is deposited, printing the restrictions on the face of the permit.

Permanent encroachments are tighter. Section 12.24.010 bars any part of a building from projecting over into a street or sidewalk, except bases of antes or columns projecting not to exceed eight inches and cornices or projections at least ten feet above the top of the sidewalk. Under § 12.24.020 awning frames must sit at least eight feet, and curtains at least seven feet, above the top of the sidewalk, with no posts or other supports from the sidewalk. Utilities operating under a regular city franchise are exempt (§ 12.24.150), and moving over width or over length loads is not an obstruction (§ 12.24.140).