Oregon, OH Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

Section 909.28 USE OF OPENINGS TO SUB-SPACES IN SIDEWALKS, ALLEYS AND STREETS gives the Director of Public Service authority to regulate the use of openings to sub-spaces in sidewalks, alleys and public ways, expressly to promote and preserve public safety, and lets the Director limit the use of such openings to specified hours where necessary. That sits inside the same Chapter 909 framework that requires anyone constructing, reconstructing or cutting into the public right of way, including curb openings, to first obtain a license under Section 909.05 (with a $2,000 bond and liability insurance) and a construction permit under Section 909.08, filed on forms showing the work's location, dimensions and materials, before any digging, cutting or building begins.

Section 909.09 sets the permit fee schedule by square footage, starting at $25 for work up to 100 square feet. Read together, an owner or contractor who wants to use, build or maintain an opening into the space beneath a City sidewalk, such as a below-grade vault, areaway or utility access, needs the same construction permit process before doing the work, and then remains subject to the Director's ongoing authority under Section 909.28 to restrict when that opening may be used. Section 909.23 separately lets the Director adopt rules fixing the thickness, materials and specifications for any work in the right of way, subject to Council approval and public inspection.