Perth Amboy, NJ Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

Private use of the public sidewalk in the City of Perth Amboy runs through Chapter 386 of the City Code. For stoops and steps, § 386-1 sets the limit: none may project or encroach on the sidewalk of any street more than one-third the width of the sidewalk, measured from the street line, without permission of the Mayor and City Council. The person maintaining an encroachment gets 24 hours' notice from the Department of Public Works to remove it before liability attaches.

The main permit track is the sidewalk cafe license in § 386-31. No one operates a sidewalk cafe without a license from the Code Enforcement and Zoning Officer. A cafe projects no more than one-half the sidewalk width or eight feet, whichever is less, and leaves at least four feet unobstructed for pedestrians; on sidewalks 20 feet or more wide, the maximum is ten feet. Cafes go in front of an operating restaurant that is a permitted conforming use, and § 386-31E extends them to bars, nightclubs, taverns, pubs and retail food establishments. Sidewalk extensions, temporary structures that extend the sidewalk onto parking spaces for cafes, cannot go in handicap designated parking spaces unless the space can feasibly be moved to an adjacent space.

Conditions in § 386-32 include no permanent delineation within the public right-of-way, a movable partition between 30 and 36 inches high with one opening between 42 and 60 inches wide, and removal of the partition and all furniture at the close of business each day. Licenses run April 1 through October 31, with hours of 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. under § 386-33. Applicants file with Code Enforcement (§ 386-34) an application, a certificate of liability insurance, the property owner's letter of consent, a Middlesex County Health Department letter, and scale drawings if first-time applicants. The initial cafe application fee is $100, the annual cafe license fee is $100 and the annual extension license fee is $350. Section 386-35 requires $1,000,000 in occurrence-based liability coverage naming the City as additional insured. Projecting signs under § 386-6 reach no more than three feet from the wall, and awnings over a sidewalk under § 386-7 need at least nine feet of clearance, ten feet when they stop short of the curbline.