Palm Springs, CA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit issuer
- Public Works Director issues encroachment permits
- Start deadline
- Work must begin within 90 days or permit voids
- Continuing use term
- One year validity for ongoing encroachments
- Bonding
- Cash deposit or surety bond required to cover restoration
- Barred uses
- No permit for loading platforms or sign-support posts
Summary
Palm Springs requires a Public Works Director-issued encroachment permit before anyone builds, plants, excavates, stores material, or otherwise occupies the public right-of-way under Municipal Code Section 14.16.040. Work must begin within ninety days of issuance under Section 14.16.140, and a continuing-use permit is valid for one year unless the use ends sooner.
§ 14.16.040. Acts requiring permit. No person shall encroach or cause to be made any encroachment of any nature whatever within, upon, over or under the limits of any right-of-way ... or construct, put upon, maintain or leave thereon, or cause to be constructed, put on, maintained or left thereon, any obstruction or impediment of any nature whatever, or remove, cut or trim trees thereon, or set a fire thereon, or to place on, over or under such right-of-way any pipe line, conduit or other fixtures ... without having first obtained a permit as required by this chapter. ... § 14.16.140. ... The permittee shall begin the work or use authorized by a permit issued pursuant to this chapter within ninety days from date of issuance, unless a different period is stated in the permit. If the work or use is not begun within nine-ty days, or within the time stated in the permit, then the permit shall become void. A permit for continuing a use or maintaining an encroachment previously authorized ... shall be valid for a term of one year from date of issuance, unless sooner terminated by discontinuance of the use, or removal of the encroachment, for which the permit was issued.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4923139; v14 updated 2026-06-24).
Full Breakdown
010 to include excavating or tunneling in the right-of-way, erecting a post, sign, pole, fence, guard rail, wall or loading platform over or under it, planting trees or shrubs, dumping rubbish, brush or earth, building a pathway, driveway, culvert, pipe, conduit or cable, lighting a fire, or placing a trash container adjacent to commercially zoned land. 040 requires a written permit from the director before any of that work occurs, or before moving an over-dimension or overweight vehicle across a right-of-way, bridge or viaduct maintained by the city.
100. 050 flatly bars approval for a loading platform in the right-of-way or a post, pole or structure built to support advertising signs. 120, though public agencies authorized by law to maintain works in the right-of-way are fee-exempt. 210 to cover restoration costs. 140 gives the permittee ninety days to begin work or the permit becomes void, and a permit for a continuing use or maintained encroachment is valid for one year from issuance unless the use ends or the encroachment is removed sooner.
Violations & Fines
Encroaching on the public right-of-way without the required permit, or violating a permit's terms, is enforceable as an infraction or misdemeanor under Chapter 1.01 of the Municipal Code. The director can also cancel a permit and restore the right-of-way at the permittee's expense under Section 14.16.150 if work is delayed through the permittee's lack of diligence, and the permittee remains liable under Section 14.16.110 for any personal injury or property damage the encroachment causes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to build a driveway or plant a tree in the Palm Springs right-of-way?
How long is a Palm Springs encroachment permit good for?
Can I get a Palm Springs permit to build a loading platform in the street right-of-way?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Palm Springs
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Encroachment Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Riverside County handle encroachment permits.