Pasadena, CA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permitting authority
- City engineer (Director of Public Works)
- Permit duration
- 7 days (30 days for utilities/city depts)
- Required deposit
- Cash deposit or bond = 100% of estimated cost
- Unpermitted work penalty
- Fee increased 50 percent
- Criminal penalty
- Misdemeanor, up to $500 fine or 6 months jail
- Advance notice for work
- 24 hours before starting or backfilling
Summary
Before digging, building, or placing anything in a Pasadena street or sidewalk right-of-way, you need a written application and a permit from the city engineer under Municipal Code Section 12.24.060. The permit covers excavations, utility lines, driveway work, and obstructions, and the applicant must post a cash deposit or bond covering the full estimated cost of the work.
No person shall do or perform, or cause the doing or performing of any, of any number of, or all of the following, until and unless he has filed with the engineer a written application, and secured from the engineer a permit therefor, and until and unless he has complied with all of the conditions and regulations of this chapter applicable thereto, except as hereinafter provided in subsection B of this section:1.Make any excavation, tunnel or bore in or under the surface of any street;2.Construct, erect, place or repair any facility or equipment in, upon, along, across, under or over any street, or remove any facility or equipment from any street;...5.Construct, leave, place or maintain any obstruction in, upon, along, across or over any street;6.Drive or operate a vehicle over any curb or sidewalk located upon any street at a point other than where a driveway has been constructed.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 79 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
A as the Director of Public Works. A lists six categories of work that trigger the permit requirement, including excavations and tunnels, facility or equipment installation, street betterments such as new sidewalk, curb, or driveway work, and any obstruction left in the right-of-way. 080, unless the work is a minor repair whose description already supplies that data. A, which guarantees inspection, refilling of excavations, and restoration of the street surface. 230. 240. C are valid for 7 days, except permits to public utilities and city departments, which run 30 days.
Violations & Fines
Doing the work without first securing a permit raises the fee for that work by 50 percent under Section 12.24.130, on top of any other enforcement. Separately, Section 12.24.470 makes any violation of the excavation ordinance a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $500, up to 6 months in the city jail, or both, with each day a violation continues counted as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who issues an encroachment permit in Pasadena?
How long does a Pasadena encroachment permit last?
What happens if I skip the permit and just do the work?
Do I need to post a bond before I can start work?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pasadena
California rules heatmap·Compare Pasadena to another location·View the California sidewalk & pedestrian rules overview
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Encroachment Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle encroachment permits.